{"title":"CD","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"makaya-mccraven-in-these-times","title":"Makaya McCraven - In These Times","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eIn These Times is the new album by Chicago-based percussionist, composer, producer, and pillar of our label family, Makaya McCraven.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlthough this album is “new,\" the truth it’s something that's been in process for a very long time, since shortly after he released his International Anthem debut In The Moment in 2015. Dedicated followers may note he’s had 6 other releases in the meantime (including 2018’s widely-popular Universal Beings and 2020’s We’re New Again, his rework of Gil Scott-Heron’s final album for XL Recordings); but none of which have been as definitive an expression of his artistic ethos as In These Times. This is the album McCraven’s been trying to make since he started making records. And his patience, ambition, and persistence have yielded an appropriately career-defining body of work.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs epic and expansive as it is impressively potent and concise, the 11 song suite was created over 7+ years, as McCraven strived to design a highly personal but broadly communicable fusion of odd-meter original compositions from his working songbook with orchestral, large ensemble arrangements and the edit-heavy “organic beat music” that he’s honed over a growing body of production-craft.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith contributions from over a dozen musicians and\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ecreative partners from his tight-knit circle of collaborators – including Jeff Parker, Junius Paul, Brandee Younger, Joel Ross, and Marquis Hill – the music was recorded in 5 different studios and 4 live performance spaces while McCraven engaged in extensive post-production work from home. The pure fact that he was able to so eloquently condense and articulate the immense human scale of the work into 41 fleeting minutes of emotive and engaging sound is a monumental achievement. It’s an evolution and a milestone for McCraven, the producer; but moreover it’s the strongest and clearest statement we’ve yet to hear from McCraven, the composer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn These Times is an almost unfathomable new peak for an already-soaring innovator who has been called \"one of the best arguments for jazz's vitality\" by The New York Times, as well as recently, and perhaps more aptly, a \"cultural synthesizer.\" While challenging and pushing himself into uncharted territories, McCraven quintessentially expresses his unique gifts for collapsing space and transcending borders – blending past, present, and future into elegant, poly-textural arrangements of jazz-rooted, post-genre 21st century folk music.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased September 23, 2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMakaya McCraven - drums, sampler, percussion, tambourine, baby sitar, synths, kalimba, handclaps, vibraphone, wurlitzer, organ\u003cbr\u003eJunius Paul - double bass, percussion, electric bass guitar, small instruments\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - guitar\u003cbr\u003eBrandee Younger - harp\u003cbr\u003eJoel Ross - vibraphone, marimba\u003cbr\u003eMarta Sofia Honer - viola\u003cbr\u003eLia Kohl - cello\u003cbr\u003eMacie Stewart - violin\u003cbr\u003eZara Zaharieva - violin\u003cbr\u003eGreg Ward - alto sax\u003cbr\u003eIrvin Pierce - tenor sax\u003cbr\u003eMarquis Hill - trumpet, flugelhorn\u003cbr\u003eGreg Spero - piano\u003cbr\u003eRob Clearfield - piano\u003cbr\u003eMatt Gold - guitar, percussion, baby sitar\u003cbr\u003eDe’Sean Jones - flute\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll music composed by Makaya McCraven; except “Lullaby” composed by Makaya McCraven based off a song originally written by Péter Dabasi and Agnes Zsigmondi. All music published by Makaya McCraven Music (ASCAP) \u0026amp; International Anthem Publishing (ASCAP), administered by Domino Publishing Company USA (ASCAP).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"In These Times\" contains an excerpt of audio from the Studs Terkel Radio Archive, used with permission, courtesy of Chicago History Museum and WFMT.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded at Co-Prosperity Sphere Chicago; Symphony Center Chicago; JAMDEK Studios Chicago; Palisade Studios Chicago (fka Decade Music Studios); Shirk Studios Chicago; Makaya Music Studios; Walker Arts Center Minneapolis; Submerge Studios Detroit; Sholo Music Studios LA.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Makaya McCraven.\u003cbr\u003eEngineered and Mixed by Dave Vettraino, David Allen, and Makaya McCraven, with recording assistance from Najee-Zaid Searcy.\u003cbr\u003eMastered by Dave Cooley at Elysian Mastering.\u003cbr\u003eExecutive Production by Scott McNiece.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCover Image \u0026amp; Insert Photos by Sulyiman.\u003cbr\u003eArt Direction by Caroline Waxse.\u003cbr\u003eDesigned by Jake Simmonds.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0059 Classic Black vinyl LP","offer_id":45170704318738,"sku":"IARC0059LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0059 Cymbal Sheen color vinyl LP","offer_id":52108985237778,"sku":"IARC0059LPS","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0059 *Exclusive Warehouse Find* Ivory color vinyl LP","offer_id":52108985303314,"sku":"IARC0059LPI","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0059 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52108985270546,"sku":"IARC0059CD","price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0059 Digital Download","offer_id":52121006473490,"sku":"IARC0059","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a3992958598_16.jpg?v=1773341821"},{"product_id":"makaya-mccraven-universal-beings","title":"Makaya McCraven - Universal Beings","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eParis-born, New England-raised, long-time Chicago-residing Makaya McCraven has been at the forefront of genre-redefining movements in jazz since 2015, when he introduced the world to his unique brand of ‘organic beat music’ on the breakout album In The Moment. Culled, cut, post-produced \u0026amp; re-composed by Makaya using recordings of free improvisation he collected over dozens of live sessions in Chicago, through incubation \u0026amp; experimentation In The Moment established a procedural blueprint that he has since been sharpening \u0026amp; developing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHoning this process on narrower sets of source material, Makaya followed up In The Moment with 2 mixtape releases – 2017’s Highly Rare, a lo-fi free-jazz-meets-hip-hop suite he made from a live 4-track recording, and June 2018’s Where We Come From (CHICAGOxLONDON Mixtape), which he produced using live recordings from London jazz hub Total Refreshment Centre (captured at a showcase called CHICAGOxLONDON).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow, after 4+ years of refining his approach, Makaya McCraven puts forth an ambitious new work – Universal Beings – a culmination of concepts conceived by In The Moment, and his most elegant \u0026amp; articulated\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ework yet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSpurred by a desire to connect with old friends \u0026amp; new collaborators in places where similar spirits \u0026amp; diasporic jazz innovations are thriving, Makaya worked with International Anthem across late 2017 \u0026amp; early 2018 to setup intimate live sessions in New York \u0026amp; Chicago, and pop-up “studio” sessions in London \u0026amp; Los Angeles. Though the contexts and logistics were D.I.Y. (as they almost always are with IARC), the friends \u0026amp; friends-of-friends that Makaya was able to enlist are top tier players across the board. Some might call them super groups of “new” jazz musicians from their respective cities, with Makaya as a common denominator. But more importantly, collectively they make an inspiring display of the organic global inter-connectedness of the Black American music tradition in 2018.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePhysically spanning national \u0026amp; international borders to create an album that musically spans deep spiritual jazz meditations, pulsing post-bop grooves \u0026amp; straight-ahead boom-bap, Makaya McCraven defies the simplifications of revisionism \u0026amp; regionalism while celebrating the sounds, settings \u0026amp; stories that define the provenance of his work. Universal Beings projects an all-encompassing message of unity, peace \u0026amp; power by embracing transcendence in all its expressions.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased October 26, 2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTracks 1-6 (New York Side) recorded live @ H0L0,\u003cbr\u003eRidgewood, Queens, NY, August 29th, 2017.\u003cbr\u003eBrandee Younger (harp)\u003cbr\u003eJoel Ross (vibraphone)\u003cbr\u003eTomeka Reid (cello)\u003cbr\u003eDezron Douglas (double bass)\u003cbr\u003eMakaya McCraven (drums)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTracks 7-11 (Chicago Side) recorded live @ Co-Prosperity Sphere,\u003cbr\u003eBridgeport, Chicago, IL, September 2nd, 2017.\u003cbr\u003e*Shabaka Hutchings (tenor saxophone)\u003cbr\u003eTomeka Reid (cello)\u003cbr\u003eJunius Paul (double bass)\u003cbr\u003eMakaya McCraven (drums)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTracks 12-16 (London Side) recorded @ Total Refreshment Studios,\u003cbr\u003eStoke Newington, London, UK, October 19th, 2017.\u003cbr\u003eNubya Garcia (tenor saxophone)\u003cbr\u003e**Ashley Henry (Rhodes piano)\u003cbr\u003eDaniel Casimir (double bass)\u003cbr\u003eMakaya McCraven (drums)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTracks 17-22 (Los Angeles Side) recorded @ Jeff Parker's house,\u003cbr\u003eAltadena, Los Angeles County, CA, January 30th, 2018.\u003cbr\u003eJosh Johnson (alto saxophone)\u003cbr\u003eMiguel Atwood-Ferguson (violin)\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker (guitar)\u003cbr\u003eAnna Butterss (double bass)\u003cbr\u003eCarlos Niño (percussion)\u003cbr\u003eMakaya McCraven (drums)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e*Shabaka Hutchings appears courtesy of Verve Label Group\u003cbr\u003e**Ashley Henry appears courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded \u0026amp; Mixed by David Allen \u0026amp; Dave Vettraino\u003cbr\u003eArtwork by Damon Locks\u003cbr\u003eInsert Portrait by Fabrice Bourgelle\u003cbr\u003eInsert Design by Craig Hansen\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Makaya McCraven\u003cbr\u003eExecutive Production by Scott McNiece\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0022 - Black Vinyl Double LP","offer_id":45170774475026,"sku":"IARC0022LP","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0022 - \"Black in Bone\" Colored Vinyl Gatefold Double LP","offer_id":52121006637330,"sku":"IA-UB-IBVD-BONE","price":37.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0022 - 2xCD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52121006670098,"sku":"IARC0022CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0022 Digital Download","offer_id":52121006702866,"sku":"IARC0022","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0022 Test Pressing","offer_id":52121006735634,"sku":"IARC0022LP-1","price":60.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a1027816009_16.jpg?v=1774059766"},{"product_id":"gold-by-alabaster-deplume","title":"Alabaster DePlume - GOLD","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eThe lightning rod for Alabaster DePlume’s luminous follow up to the widely-acclaimed 2020 release To Cy \u0026amp; Lee: Instrumentals Vol. 1 was personal. “Someone was going through a thing,” says the Mancunian poet-performer. “I said, ‘go forward in the courage of your love’. And then I thought 'yeah, that's what I need to hear as well’.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGold is a sonorous double album that celebrates the communal act of making music and the relationships that can be explored when you purposefully avoid the standard way of doing things.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt contains filmic pieces that oscillate between the otherworldly and the trenchantly grounded, rendered maximally human through the recording process. There is laughter mid-track and studio chatter. There is the music of shouting and applause generated by a handful of people who were listening from the doorframe and the corridor. Complex vocal harmonies circle the songs like small birds and there’s an undercurrent of steely toughness, necessitated by the musician’s engagement with personal vulnerability and collective politics.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn late summer 2020 Alabaster DePlume (real name Gus Fairbairn) booked two weeks of sessions at the influential Total Refreshment Centre in London, recording to tape with Kristian Craig Robinson (aka Capitol K). He invited a different set of musicians\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eeach day, who would record the same tunes at the same speed so that DePlume – who produced the record – could cut them together later, like ingredients. “They didn’t have enough preparation to be able to hide behind this piece of material or skill,” he says. “They had to look up and respond to each other, and that’s what we've recorded.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere were two rules that were essential to the process: that musicians wouldn’t be given enough time to rehearse and that they wouldn’t listen back to the music they recorded. “The method is part of the mission. It wasn’t like school. We had mayhem. We were having fun. That’s the story and the process – and I want to live that way,” he says.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe singer and percussionist Falle Nioke’s solo on “Again” is an example of the album’s unusual and liberating recording process. The tune was planned as an instrumental but Falle sang out spontaneously, and stilled the room with his arresting contribution. “He was just one voice in the choir but he suddenly sang lead because he felt it,” says DePlume. “It’s one example of what we were able to record,” he says, “because people felt genuinely personally welcome. Their own voices were made welcome. That is what this album is made of and it’s what the best things in our society are made of. We can either make people welcome or we can make them unwelcome; unseen.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter the recording, the artist made a map, because frankly he needed a map after recording more than 17 hours of music. The map dictated which bits of each session to pull into the orbit of the record and it was drawn on a long scroll of paper with lines drawn across it, each line representing one analog tape. The triangles, dots and colors – red for fire, pink for beauty and blue for breath – shaped what emerged. The map has since been requisitioned for a gallery exhibition, and a photograph appears on the Gold artwork.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe music that emerged ranges from sparse understated bangers “Fucking Let Them” and the hypnotic pulse of “Visitors XT8B – Oak” to skilfully soothing instrumentals which will feel familiar to the many people who found To Cy \u0026amp; Lee a pandemic panacea (including Bon Iver, who sampled that album’s top track, “Visit Croatia”).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGold opens with the Portuguese-titled “A Gente Acaba” which itself opens with the hum of voices, rich and human. There are gentle strings, gently strummed. The saxophone leaves vibrating trails in the air. “The Sound of My Feet On This Earth Is A Song To Your Spirit” is beauty and breath, generating the kind of deep warmth and connection that requires no lyrical explanation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere is circularity. One piece of music arrives and leaves repeatedly, and a phrase is repeated:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI have all I need for the glory of being. I recognise you and celebrate. I am brazen, like a baby, like the stupid sun and I go forward in the courage of my love.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I’m Good At Not Crying” is a self-accusatory lullaby that lists out the things he excels at (not eating much, not being the bad guy) whilst plaintive and harmonically-rich singers spill and spiral around the low tones of his voice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn “People What’s The Difference” he unpicks the selective deafness that surrounds the refugee crisis within a gentle punk-funk frame and towards the end, there’s a lament for the broken earth marked out with plucked strings and harmonies that dip in and out like sharp bells. Softness, in the hands of this Mancunian poet-performer, can be a weapon.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The reason for To Cy \u0026amp; Lee was to help people have peace,” he says. “The reason to make Gold is to give people courage and love by putting myself in a situation where I had to bring courage and love. It’s how I made it, it’s what it’s about. It’s what we need next.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is the sound of an artist attempting full transparency and maximum relationship. It is also the sound of an artist who has achieved the sound he hoped for. This is the sound of soft power. It’s golden.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlbum writeup by Emma Warren\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReleased April 1, 2022\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0050 Classic Black vinyl gatefold LP","offer_id":45171223527698,"sku":"IARC0050LP","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0050 - Limited Edition *Obsidian Vortex* color vinyl gatefold double LP","offer_id":52115723419922,"sku":"IARC0050LPS","price":39.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0050 - Compact Disc","offer_id":52115723452690,"sku":"IARC0050CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0050 Digital Download","offer_id":52120998314258,"sku":"IARC0050","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0050 Test Pressing","offer_id":52115723485458,"sku":"IARC0050LP-1","price":60.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a2964482710_16.jpg?v=1773457632"},{"product_id":"resavoir-resavoir-2023","title":"Resavoir - Resavoir (2023)","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eNotes by Anton Spice:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eResavoir - the collaborative project led by Chicago producer\/composer Will Miller - presents their second self-titled album. The new 'Resavoir' is a subtly radiant symphony interweaving modern-day soul-jazz with bedroom beats, synth serenades and twilight sonatas. It represents Miller’s most assured and refined work to date.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eImagined, instigated and produced by Miller, who ties the diverse sounds into an expansive, coherent whole, 'Resavoir' features a wide and vibrant cast of collaborators, including Elton Aura, Whitney, Akenya, Matt Gold, Eddie Burns, Lane Beckstrom, Jeremy Cunningham, Irvin Pierce, Macie Stewart, Peter Manheim and more.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRooted in the collaborative spirit of the early 2010s indie hip-hop scene, Miller cut loose from his training at Oberlin jazz conservatory, taking a compositional assignment to write a tune about a reservoir as his cue to explore a beats and RnB-inspired sound that could function as a literal reservoir of music to draw from. Running his trumpet through MIDI keyboards, experimenting with samplers, drum machines and synths, he began to build a sound that could seamlessly collaborate with MCs, vocalists and\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003einstrumentalists.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“With Resavoir, it’s been more about unlearning those stigmas and traumas of going through the very rigid system of learning music and coming back to making something that is going to make me feel good and reflects how I'm feeling in the moment,” Miller explains.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA longtime member of indie band Whitney, and having subsequently worked with the likes of Mac Miller, ASAP Rocky, Chance The Rapper, Lil Wayne and SZA - for whom he produced “Blind” from her 2022 album SOS which spent 10 weeks at #1 on the Billboard 100 chart - the Resavoir project allowed Miller to take these experiences into his own work - creating a sound that is deft yet deep, compositionally complex, yet finely tuned to the timbres of emotion that color life’s quieter moments.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInitially developed as a group project, Miller released his debut self-titled Resavoir album in 2019. Described by Pitchfork as “a complex, soulful album which celebrates interconnectedness,” the album received widespread critical acclaim. However, Miller’s concept for Resavoir continued to evolve as the pandemic forced everyone back onto themselves, this deep well of music now offering a return to the fundamentals of his approach. He explains: “Resavoir is a compositional practice, a place, a feeling, and a reflection of the community I have around me.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRenting a studio in the old Hammond B3 organ factory on Chicago’s NW side, Miller went back to basics, organizing open air jam sessions in the side lot of his Logan Square apartment building that would form the basis of two shimmering tracks – “Midday” and “First Light” – years before this new album came into view. As Miller remembers: “Both recordings came from the first time any of us had played music with anyone else since the onset of the pandemic so there was quite a tangible energy and emotion in the air. Folks from the neighborhood were stopping by to drop off 6-packs of beer and listen.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWritten over three years beginning in April 2020, the new 'Resavoir' saw Miller challenge himself to experiment with what he calls the “medicinal” daily practice of music making. Born out of a process of introversion and mindfulness, the eleven effervescent songs that ultimately made the cut are testament to Miller expanding on his breezy and melodic signature to showcase a bold new sonic direction - a beat-oriented but compositionally complex, lush and cinematic soul-jazz sound.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFirst single \"Inside Minds\" channels a João Gilberto-meets-MF DOOM whimsey – stripped back, spontaneous yet orchestrated. Capturing the moment of discovery, other tracks like \"Sunset\" are like vignettes of Miller’s process - music as an exercise in letting go, embracing the organic imperfections of their creation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDiscussing his approach to the work, Miller says: \"a single chord change has the power to completely divert my entire day and provide me with a feeling of peace and wonder. Those are the best moments when creating music, the moments of transformation and healing. The feeling of this new album to me is meditative, peaceful, serene, quiet, introspective, intentional, patient, calm, awe-filled and loving. If I was truly writing to how I was feeling in the moment I think it would sound a lot different. So I wanted to speak to the transformational power of music.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased November 3, 2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePRODUCED BY WILL MILLER\u003cbr\u003eMIXED BY DAVE VETTRAINO\u003cbr\u003eMASTERED BY DAVE COOLEY\u003cbr\u003eARTWORK \u0026amp; DESIGN BY CRYSTAL ZAPATA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWILL MILLER: PIANO, EVI, TRUMPET, FLUGELHORN, WURLITZER, SYNTHS, SAMPLER, 808\u003cbr\u003eLANE BECKSTROM: DOUBLE BASS, BASS GUITAR\u003cbr\u003eMACIE STEWART: VIOLIN\u003cbr\u003eEDDIE BURNS: DRUM PROGRAMMING, DRUMS\u003cbr\u003eMATT GOLD: GUITAR, VOICE\u003cbr\u003ePETER MANHEIM: DRUM KIT, CONGAS, PERCUSSION\u003cbr\u003eAKENYA SEYMOUR: VOICE, WURLITZER\u003cbr\u003eELTON AURA: GUITAR, VOICE\u003cbr\u003eJULIEN EHRLICH: GUITAR, VOICE\u003cbr\u003eMAX KAKACEK: GUITAR\u003cbr\u003eKENNETH LEFTRIDGE JR.: FLUTE, SAXOPHONE, CLARINET, BASS CLARINET\u003cbr\u003eWILLS MCKENNA: ALTO FLUTE\u003cbr\u003eJEREMY CUNNINGHAM: SPD DRUMS, DRUMS\u003cbr\u003eIRVIN PIERCE: SAXOPHONE\u003cbr\u003eELLA WILLIAMS: VOICE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e*Whitney appears courtesy of Secretly Canadian\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0072 Classic black vinyl LP","offer_id":46274242576658,"sku":"IARC0072LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0072 Limited Edition Dusk Cloud color vinyl LP","offer_id":46274242543890,"sku":"IARC0072LPI","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0072 Compact Disc","offer_id":52121007915282,"sku":"IARC0072CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0072 Digital Download","offer_id":52121007948050,"sku":"IARC0072","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0072 Test Pressing","offer_id":52121007980818,"sku":"IARC0072-TP","price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/coverartIARC0072Resavoir.jpg?v=1774062684"},{"product_id":"alabaster-deplume-come-with-fierce-grace","title":"Alabaster DePlume - Come With Fierce Grace","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn order to record the compositions in his critically-acclaimed 2022 release\u003cem\u003e GOLD\u003c\/em\u003e, Alabaster DePlume instilled a culture of creativity by leading his ensembles in spontaneous composition and development. To allow them to be present, he kept the musicians constantly creating across several weeks of sessions at London creative hub Total Refreshment Centre. This process resulted in an abundance of material, much more than he could fit onto the initial double LP.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAfter spending most of 2022 touring in support of\u003cem\u003e GOLD\u003c\/em\u003e, Alabaster spent much of early 2023 revisiting the additional material from those Total Refreshment Centre sessions – adding, subtracting, producing and arranging – resulting in an entirely new album, \u003cem\u003eCome With Fierce Grace\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eCome With Fierce Grace\u003c\/em\u003e is an album made of authentic and unstipulated – yet welcomed – human interaction. It is for the most part an album of instrumentals, with exception of a few vocal features by Momoko Gill (aka MettaShiba), Falle Nioke, and Donna Thompson. However the instrumentals on this album are much more embryonic and unfiltered than the lush orchestrations heard on Alabaster’s breakout 2020 album \u003cem\u003eTo Cy \u0026amp; Lee: Instrumentals Vol. 1\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eCome With Fierce Grace\u003c\/em\u003e is perhaps the most raw and candid portrait of Alabaster’s creative compositional process we’ve yet to hear, as he’s captured vividly in the room with his collaborators – stretching, exploring, working to deepen and expand the emotions underlying his melodic and poetic frameworks.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eRegarding the process, Alabaster cites a similarity to how elements in nature contribute to shared work and beauty without a collective motive – a bee’s own motives result in the delivery of pollen. As he says: “The great thing wants to happen, let us allow it to happen.”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eRegarding the origin of the album’s name: On his first trip to perform in the US in March 2022, Alabaster collected messages from individuals, as he asked them if there is anything they would like him to share with his audiences. One message (from a person who preferred to remain anonymous) asked Alabaster to encourage people to “come with fierce grace.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReleases September 8, 2023\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProduced and arranged by\u003c\/strong\u003e Alabaster DePlume.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRecorded onto tape by\u003c\/strong\u003e Kristian Craig Robinson at Total Refreshment Centre, London.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMixed by\u003c\/strong\u003e Dave Vettraino at International Anthem Studios, Chicago.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMastered by\u003c\/strong\u003e David Allen.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlbum Art by\u003c\/strong\u003e Raimund Wong.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInsert photo by\u003c\/strong\u003e Chris Almeida.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLayout by\u003c\/strong\u003e Craig Hansen.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eComposed in the act of performance by and with:\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlabaster DePlume \u003c\/strong\u003e– tenor sax, guitar, synths and voice\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFalle Nioke \u003c\/strong\u003e– voice, percussion\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRozi Plain \u003c\/strong\u003e– guitar\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSarathy Korwar\u003c\/strong\u003e – drums, tabla\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTom Skinner\u003c\/strong\u003e – drums\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKenichi Iwasa\u003c\/strong\u003e – percussion\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJames Howard\u003c\/strong\u003e – guitar\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTom Herbert\u003c\/strong\u003e – double bass\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNatalie Pela\u003c\/strong\u003e – voice\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRosa Slade\u003c\/strong\u003e – voice\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eElly Condron\u003c\/strong\u003e – voice\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLuisa Gerstein\u003c\/strong\u003e – voice\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMatt Webb\u003c\/strong\u003e – double bass\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMichael Chestnutt\u003c\/strong\u003e – synths\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUrsula Russell\u003c\/strong\u003e – drums\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConrad Singh\u003c\/strong\u003e – guitar\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHannah Miller\u003c\/strong\u003e – cello and voice\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDonna Thompson\u003c\/strong\u003e – voice\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMatthew Bourne\u003c\/strong\u003e – piano\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMomoko Gill\u003c\/strong\u003e – lead vocal\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRuth Goller\u003c\/strong\u003e – bass\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll rights reserved\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0070 Classic Black vinyl LP","offer_id":46274399207698,"sku":"IARC0070LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0070 Limited Edition *Greek Honey* Color vinyl LP","offer_id":52115723288850,"sku":"IARC0070LPI","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0070 Compact Disc","offer_id":52115723321618,"sku":"IARC0070CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0070 Digital Download","offer_id":52120998248722,"sku":"IARC0070","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0070 Test Pressing (Pallas)","offer_id":52115723354386,"sku":"IARC0070LP-2","price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0070 Test Pressing (Smashed Plastic)","offer_id":52115723387154,"sku":"IARC0070LP-1","price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a3957026135_10.jpg?v=1773448388"},{"product_id":"jeff-parker-suite-for-max-brown","title":"Jeff Parker - Suite for Max Brown","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e“I’m always looking for ways to be surprised,” says composer and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Parker as he explains the process, and the thinking, behind his new album, Suite for Max Brown, released via a new partnership between the Chicago–based label International Anthem and Nonesuch Records. “If I sit down at the piano or with my guitar, with staff paper and a pencil, I’m eventually going to fall into writing patterns, into things I already know. So, when I make music, that’s what I’m trying to get away from—the things that I know.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eParker himself is known to many fans as the longtime guitarist for the Chicago–based quintet Tortoise, one of the most critically revered, sonically adventurous groups to emerge from the American indie scene of the early nineties. The band’s often hypnotic, largely instrumental sound eludes easy definition, drawing freely from rock, jazz, electronic, and avant-garde music, and it has garnered a large following over the course of nearly thirty years. Aside from recording and touring with Tortoise, Parker has worked as a side man with many jazz greats, including Nonesuch labelmate Joshua Redman on his 2005 Momentum album; as a studio collaborator with other composer-musicians, including Makaya McCraven, Brian Blade, Meshell N’Degeocello, his longtime friend (and Chicago\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eUnderground ensemble co-founder) Rob Mazurek; and as a solo artist. Suite for Max Brown is informally a companion piece to The New Breed, Parker’s 2016 album on International Anthem, which London’s Observer honored as the best jazz album of the year, declaring that “no other musician in the modern era has moved so seamlessly between rock and jazz like Jeff Parker. As guitarist for Chicago post-rock icons Tortoise, he’s taken the group in new and challenging directions that have kept them at the forefront of pop creativity for the last twenty years. As of late, however, Parker has established himself as one of the most formidable solo talents in modern jazz.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThough Parker collaborates with a coterie of musicians under the group name The New Breed, theirs is by no means a conventional “band” relationship. Parker is very much a solo artist on Suite for Max Brown. He constructs a digital bed of beats and samples; lays down tracks of his own on guitar, keyboards, bass, percussion, and occasionally voice; then invites his musician friends to play and improvise over his melodies. But unlike a traditional jazz session, Parker doesn’t assemble a full combo in the studio for a day or two of live takes. His accompanists are often working alone with Parker, reacting to what Parker has provided them, and then Parker uses those individual parts to layer and assemble into his final tracks. The process may be relatively solitary and cerebral, but the results feel like in-the-moment jams—warm-hearted, human, alive. Suite for Max Brown brims with personality, boasting the rhythmic flow of hip hop and the soulful swing of jazz.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“In my own music I’ve always sought to deal with the intersection of improvisation and the digital era of making music, trying to merge these disparate elements into something cohesive,” Parker explains. “I became obsessed maybe ten or fifteen years ago with making music from samples. At first it was more an exercise in learning how to sample and edit audio. I was a big hip-hop fan all my life, but I never delved into the technical aspects of making that music. To keep myself busy, I started to sample music from my own library of recordings, to chop them up, make loops and beats. I would do it in my spare time. I could do it when I was on tour—in the van or on an airplane, at a soundcheck, whenever I had spare time I was working on this stuff. After a while, as you can imagine, I had hours and hours of samples I had made and I hadn’t really done anything with them\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“So I made The New Breed based off these old sample-based compositions and mixed them with improvising,” he continues. “There was a lot of editing, a lot of post-production work that went into that. That’s in a nutshell how I make a lot of my music; it’s a combination of sampling, editing, retriggering audio, and recording it, moving it around and trying to make it into something cohesive—and make it music that someone would enjoy listening to. With Max Brown, it’s evolved. I played a lot of the music myself. It’s me playing as many of the instruments as I could. I engineered most it myself at home or during a residency I did at the Headlands Center for the Arts [in Sausalito, California] about a year ago.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis New Breed band-mates and fellow travelers on Max Brown include pianist-saxophonist Josh Johnson; bassist Paul Bryan, who co-produced and mixed the album with Parker; piccolo trumpet player Rob Mazurek, his frequent duo partner; trumpeter Nate Walcott, a veteran of Conor Oberst’s Bright Eyes; drummers Jamire Williams, Makaya McCraven, and Jay Bellerose, Parker’s Berklee School of Music classmate; cellist Katinka Klejin of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; and even his seventeen-year-old daughter Ruby Parker, a student at the Chicago High School of the Arts, who contributes vocals to opening track, “Build A Nest.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRuby’s presence at the start is fitting, since Suite for Max Brown is a kind of family affair: “That’s my mother’s maiden name. Maxine Brown. Everybody calls her Max. I decided to call it Suite for Max Brown. The New Breed became a kind of tribute to my father because he passed away while I was making the album. The New Breed was a clothing store he owned when I was a kid, a store in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where I was born. I thought it would be nice this time to dedicate something to my mom while she’s still here to see it. I wish that my father could have been around to hear the tribute that I made for him. The picture on the cover of Max Brown is of my mom when she was nineteen.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere is a multi-generational vibe to the music too, as Parker balances his contemporary digital explorations with excursions into older jazz. Along with original compositions, Parker includes “Gnarciss,” an interpretation of Joe Henderson’s “Black Narcissus” and John Coltrane’s “After the Rain” (from his 1963 Impressions album). Parker recalls, “I was drawn to jazz music as a kid. That was the first music that really resonated with me once I got heavily into music. When I was nine or ten years old, I immediately gravitated to jazz because there were so many unexpected things. Jazz led me into improvising, which led me into experimenting in a general way, into an experimental process of making music.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eColtrane is a touchstone in Parker’s musical evolution. In fact, Parker recalls, he inadvertently found himself on a new musical path one night about fifteen years ago when he was deejaying at a Chicago bar and playing ‘Trane: “I used to deejay a lot when I lived in Chicago. This was before Serrato and people deejaying with computers. I had two records on two turntables and a mixer. I was spinning records one night and for about ten minutes I was able to perfectly synch up a Nobukazu Takemura record with the first movement of John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme and it had this free jazz, abstract jazz thing going on with a sequenced beat underneath. It sounded so good. That’s what I’m trying to do with Max Brown. It’s got a sequenced beat and there are musicians improvising on top or beneath the sequenced drum pattern. That’s what I was going for. Man vs machine.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“It’s a lot of experimenting, a lot of trial and error,” he admits. “I like to pursue situations that take me outside myself, where the things I come up with are things I didn’t really know I could do. I always look at this process as patchwork quilting. You take this stuff and stitch it together until a tapestry forms.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—Michael Hill\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased January 24, 2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBuild a Nest (feat. Ruby Parker)\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - drums, vocals, piano, electric guitar, Korg MS20\u003cbr\u003eRuby Parker - vocals\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eC’mon Now\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - sampling, editing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFusion Swirl\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - electric guitar, bass guitar, samplers, percussion, vocals\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter the Rain\u003cbr\u003ePaul Bryan - bass guitar\u003cbr\u003eJosh Johnson - electric piano\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - electric guitar and percussion\u003cbr\u003eJamire Williams - drums\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMetamorphoses\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - glockenspiel, sequencer, sampler, Korg MS20\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGnarciss\u003cbr\u003ePaul Bryan - bass guitar\u003cbr\u003eJosh Johnson - alto saxophone\u003cbr\u003eKatinka Kleijn - cello\u003cbr\u003eRob Mazurek - piccolo trumpet\u003cbr\u003eMakaya McCraven - drums and sampler\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - electric guitar, JP-08, sampler, midi strings\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLydian, Etc\u003cbr\u003ePaul Bryan - bass guitar\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - electric guitar, pandeiro, midi programming, etc.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDel Rio\u003cbr\u003ePaul Bryan - bass guitar\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - electric guitar, mbira, sampler, Korg MS20, drums, electric piano\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e3 for L\u003cbr\u003eJay Bellerose - drums and percussion\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - electric guitar, Korg MS20\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGo Away\u003cbr\u003ePaul Bryan - bass guitar and vocals\u003cbr\u003eMakaya McCraven - drums\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - electric guitar, vocals and sampler\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMax Brown\u003cbr\u003ePaul Bryan - bass guitar\u003cbr\u003eJosh Johnson - alto saxophone\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - guitar, Korg MS20, JP-08\u003cbr\u003eNate Walcott - trumpet\u003cbr\u003eJamire Williams - drums\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll songs composed by Jeff Parker (umjabuglafeesh music, BMI);\u003cbr\u003eexcept “After The Rain” by John Coltrane, and “Gnarciss” which contains elements of “Black Narcissus” by Joe Henderson.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“C’mon Now” features samples from the Otis Redding recording “The Happy Song (Dum-Dum).\" Produced under license from Atlantic Recording Corp. By Arrangement with Rhino Entertainment Company, a Warner Music Group Company.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll arrangements by Jeff Parker.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEngineered and edited by Jeff Parker at Headlands Center For The Arts, Sausalito, California and at home in Altadena, California.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEngineered, edited and mixed by Paul Bryan in Pacific Palisades, California.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMastered by Dave Cooley at Elysian Masters, Los Angeles, California.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Paul Bryan and Jeff Parker.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDesign \u0026amp; Layout by Craig Hansen.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0029 LP - Limited Edition Color Vinyl (2026 repress)","offer_id":52611532161298,"sku":"IARC0029LPX","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0029 LP - Classic Black Vinyl","offer_id":46870280241426,"sku":"IARC0029LPUS","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0029 LP - \"Fusion Swirl\" Colored Vinyl","offer_id":52121004212498,"sku":"IA-SFMB-IFSC","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0029 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52121004245266,"sku":"IA-IARC0029CD","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0029 Digital Download","offer_id":52121004278034,"sku":"IARC0029","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a0572868824_16.jpg?v=1773342541"},{"product_id":"damon-locks-rob-mazurek-new-future-city-radio","title":"Damon Locks \u0026 Rob Mazurek - New Future City Radio","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eNew Future City Radio is the first duo collaboration of longtime creative partners Damon Locks \u0026amp; Rob Mazurek. In a hyperactive 40-minute, 18-track suite that runs like a boombox mixtape, the two prolific multi-media artists contemplate community, transformation, and the future through the programmatic format of a pirate radio station for the people.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThese two artists have worked together from the peak days of the late 90s \/ early 00s Chicago music scene up through the present day, which has seen Locks featured as lead vocalist of multiple critically-acclaimed Exploding Star Orchestra (ESO) albums composed\/produced by Mazurek and released by International Anthem (IARC) in 2020 (Dimensional Stardust) and 2023 (Lightning Dreamers). In recent years, Locks has also earned great renown from his revolutionary, expansive latter-day gospel\/jazz project Black Monument Ensemble (BME), with which he’s released two albums on IARC (2019’s Where Future Unfolds and 2021’s NOW). New Future City Radio finds the artists creating a natural but innovatively-assembled blend of the sounds of those two projects, with Locks’s BME-style sample-based sound collage creating compositional beds underneath the signature Orson Welles-like vocal\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003edelivery he’s developed through his work with ESO, alongside Roland SP flourishes and arresting brass improvisations by Mazurek.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThemes both sonic and text based were predetermined but improvisation leads the journey. The music these two have devised may sound hyper-charged one moment and gently transportive the next, and often somewhere in between. When asked about New Future City Radio the duo exclaim in one voice: \"I'm talking post, post, post, future. I'm talking resilience and levitation. I'm talking beauty and structural integrity for my people. I'm talking light beams that tell stories and educate. Let's talk about that if you wanna talk new future!\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased July 28, 2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDamon Locks - voice \u0026amp; sampler\u003cbr\u003eRob Mazurek - trumpet, piccolo trumpet, sampler, modular synthesizers, voice, flutes\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMauricio Takara - electronic percussion, percussion on “The Beat” and “Flitting Splits Reverb Adage”\u003cbr\u003eRoberto Carlos Lange aka Helado Negro – voice on “Flitting Splits Reverb Adage”\u003cbr\u003eBrandi Augustus – vocals on “New Future”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnnouncers:\u003cbr\u003eRosetta Carr – “The Sun Returns”\u003cbr\u003eAndres Hernandez – “The Concord Hour”\u003cbr\u003eAlain 'Fusion' Clapham – “10mins Past The Hour”\u003cbr\u003eBrenda Hernandez – “Las Niñas Estan Escuchando (The Children Are Listening)”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded \u0026amp; Engineered by: Dave Vettraino at International Anthem Studios, Chicago.\u003cbr\u003eMastered by: David Allen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlbum Art by: Damon Locks\u003cbr\u003ePhoto of Rob Mazurek by: Ziga Koritnik\u003cbr\u003ePhoto of Damon Locks by: Petra Cvelbar\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0068 Classic Black vinyl LP","offer_id":46926425194770,"sku":"IARC0068LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0068 Limited Edition *New Future City Shimmer* Color vinyl LP","offer_id":52121000575250,"sku":"IARC0068LPI","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0068 Compact Disc","offer_id":52121000608018,"sku":"IARC0068CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0068 Digital Download","offer_id":52121000640786,"sku":"IARC0068","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a2024789163_10.jpg?v=1773342529"},{"product_id":"asher-gamedze-and-the-black-lungs-constitution","title":"Asher Gamedze \u0026 The Black Lungs - Constitution","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e“Members of the dispossessed, won’t you lend me your ears!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is the repeated call and the rallying chorus of the nearly 40-minute centerpiece to composer and percussionist Asher Gamedze’s new album Constitution. The expansive double album, a minoritarian fellowship in breath, is Gamedze’s follow-up to 2023’s Turbulence and Pulse (IARC0057\/M3H013), and his first with The Black Lungs, a ten-piece ensemble. The album – recorded in one day at Cape Town’s Sound and Motion Studios – is an elaboration of the possibilities of autonomous constitution in and through polyrhythmic, modal, large ensemble music.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGamedze holds down duties on the drum kit, joining with Ru Slayen (percussion), Sean Sanby (bass), and Nobuhle Ashanti (piano) breathing together to cohere in what would otherwise be called a rhythm section. The ensemble is expanded by more breath - horns and voices. Tumi Pheko (cornet), Garth Erasmus (alto saxophone), Jed Petersen (tenor saxophone), Tina Mene (vocals), Athi Ngcaba (trombone) and Fred Moten (words) collectively explore and deconstruct the conceptual, tonal and atonal possibilities of themes which are at once of old and new dreams - curious and instantiative, melancholic and\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eemergent.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs Moten puts it, “this polyrhythmic but also always polyphonic critical joining – this re-assemblage of ensemble, this loving violation – lets the nightmares of individuation all unravel.” The Black Lungs join a tradition of sound, struggle and thought that is constituted by this very process of unraveling the isolating questions of isolated philosophers: “Is Socrates happy?”; “Does the dialectician have a sound?” On Constitution, the power of the question, the possibility of an improvised answer and the celebration of being together exists not in the solo but in the group, the ensemble.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is a theme present not just throughout Constitution, but in all of Gamedze’s work. “The ensemble experience of study and struggle is the basis of my thought and everything I try to do in this mad world,” he says in the album’s liner notes. Further situating the sound and the impulse of the ensemble within the multitudinous terrains of the historical and ongoing struggles of the dispossessed, he explains that “The Black Lungs is inspired by the revolutionary thought and practice of the Black Consciousness Movement. In particular, the relationship between antagonism – constituting a united front of all the oppressed against white supremacy and racial capitalism – and the possibilities for resistance and elaboration - the creative militant capacities of those assembled – enabled and unleashed by that process of constitution.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased August 30, 2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTumi Pheko – cornet\u003cbr\u003eGarth Erasmus – alto saxophone\u003cbr\u003eJed Petersen – tenor saxophone\u003cbr\u003eRu Slayen – percussion\u003cbr\u003eAthi Ngcaba – trombone\u003cbr\u003eTina Mene – vocals\u003cbr\u003eFred Moten – words\u003cbr\u003eNobuhle Ashanti – piano\u003cbr\u003eSean Sanby – bass\u003cbr\u003eAsher Gamedze – drums\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll compositions, concepts and arrangements by: Asher Gamedze\u003cbr\u003eWords by: Fred Moten\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCover and insert artwork by: Leila Khan (Kanaladorp Press)\u003cbr\u003eLayout by: Craig Hansen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded by: Carl Roberts and Finn Esterhuizen at Sound and Motions Studios, Cape Town, 15 June 2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProduced by: Asher Gamedze\u003cbr\u003eMixed by: Carl Roberts\u003cbr\u003eMastered by: David Allen\u003cbr\u003eA\u0026amp;R by: Scott McNiece\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0084 Classic Black Gatefold 2xLP","offer_id":50238219387154,"sku":"IARC0084LP","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0084 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52120910004498,"sku":"IARC0084CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0084 Digital Download","offer_id":52120999133458,"sku":"IARC0084","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a2170149126_10.jpg?v=1773342501"},{"product_id":"products-cassie-kinoshis-seed-gratitude","title":"Cassie Kinoshi's seed. - gratitude","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eIn March of 2023 composer, arranger \u0026amp; alto saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi premiered a commissioned suite of music in front of a sold out crowd at London’s Southbank Centre. She wrote the piece – gratitude – for her flagship large ensemble seed., in a special augmented formation that also featured turntablist NikNak and the London Contemporary Orchestra (LCO).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFollowers of UK Jazz know Kinoshi from her previous work with seed. (including the Mercury Prize-nominated album Driftglass, released by jazz re:freshed in 2019), or as a former member of Kokoroko. But her compositional résumé also extends deeply into orchestral work for concert hall, contemporary dance, film, visual art, and theatre, with high profile collaborators including London Sinfonietta, Philharmonia Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra. That depth of experience is on full display on gratitude, with the textural and dynamic flexibility of her large ensemble covering musical ground from groove-focused modal melancholia to anthemic brass and string themes. Striking upon first listen and even richer on repeat visits, gratitude scores the soul of contemporary Black London with philharmonic craftwork in the tradition of legendary jazz arrangers like Mary Lou Williams, Oliver Nelson, and\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eCarla Bley.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSimilar to those keystone writer-arrangers, here Kinoshi wields the power of a large ensemble to convey nuanced human emotion. “gratitude was written as a means of guiding my own healing,” says Kinoshi. “My mother told me that she keeps a gratitude book where she writes one thing, no matter how big or small, every day that helps to re-focus her mind on practicing gratitude. The examples that she gave were seeing the flowers that she'd recently planted in her garden bloom and a kaleidoscope of butterflies that she saw flitting about a tree in her garden.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInspired by her mother’s focus on natural beauty and the meaningful minutiae of everyday life, Kinoshi was driven to work through her own relationship with mental health and to pour that into composition. “I was spending a lot of time on my own, often at my desk writing continuously,” says Kinoshi. “At 3pm everyday, the winter sun would be positioned opposite my window and shine directly onto my face. The task of writing this piece was one of the most difficult I've endured – because of the headspace that I was in at the time – and this would be the one thing in the middle of the day that would bring me a very deep sense of contentment… my first attempt at consciously practicing gratitude for something that I so often take for granted.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“At this point in my artistic career, highlighting the often overlooked subject of mental health and what it means to move towards creating healthy, positive and introspective practices in regards to both understanding and regulating one's own mental health is of the utmost importance to me.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThroughout the writing process Kinoshi had the privilege of knowing that her composition would eventually be interpreted by seed. — an ensemble of players she founded in 2016 and whose collective talents she knows through and through. “The binding concept of seed. has always been to have a creative outlet that allows me to express and highlight subject matter important to me alongside musicians that I deeply respect, admire and enjoy spending time with,” explains Kinoshi. “It is the one environment where I feel extremely comfortable being able to experiment with sound authentically. Over the years, it has evolved in the sense that the more comfortable the band members get with interpreting my music, and the more we develop a creative language together, the more honest the music sounds.” That profound musical and personal trust helped make the ensemble a perfect vehicle for a composition augmented by new collaborators — in this case the LCO and NikNak.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKinoshi and seed. first met turntablist NikNak at the Marsden Jazz Festival in 2019. After spending some time talking politics and sharing jokes it was clear that a creative relationship was possible. “I find that working with formidable artists that I get on well with on a personal level always leads to my best work, and knew as soon as I met NikNak that I wanted to work with them.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn the genesis of her collaboration with the LCO, Kinoshi says: “I have always wanted to combine seed. with electronics and orchestral elements, as I have always envisioned the band performing multi-disciplinary works. I have long admired the members of the LCO and their way of successfully melding orchestral arrangements and improvisation with more contemporary artists. I was introduced to them via Lexy Morvaridi during his time at the Southbank Centre. It was through his support, creative insight and trust that we were able to make this project happen.” The beauty and harmony of these communal connections plus the depth and deftness of all the musickers involved truly made Kinoshi's dream of this composition a reality.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRunning confidently at 21 minutes and 33 seconds (not including the album’s B Side \/ final track “Smoke in the Sun,” which was recorded separately at Total Refreshment Centre) and going straight for the heart, gratitude is an evolved, emotionally attuned, creatively ambitious and compositionally exquisite philharmonic expression of post-millennial UK jazz.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased March 22, 2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTracks 1-6 recorded live at the Southbank Centre, Purcell Room, London, March 2023. Additional Recording at Livingston Studios, London, November 2023. Live Engineering by Tony Birch. Additional recordings engineered by Dave Vettraino.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCassie Kinoshi - alto saxophone and composer\u003cbr\u003eNikNak - turntables\u003cbr\u003eJack Banjo Courtney – trumpet 1\u003cbr\u003eJoseph Oti-Akenteng – trumpet 2\u003cbr\u003eDeji ljishakin – tenor saxophone\u003cbr\u003eJoe Bristow – trombone\u003cbr\u003eHanna Mbuya – tuba\u003cbr\u003eMaria Chiara Argirò – piano\u003cbr\u003eShirley Tetteh – guitar\u003cbr\u003eKarl Onibuje – double bass\u003cbr\u003eRio Kai – double bass\u003cbr\u003ePatrick Gabriel-Boyle – drums\u003cbr\u003eClare Bennett – flute\u003cbr\u003eAlastair Penman – clarinet and bass clarinet\u003cbr\u003eEllie Consta - violin 1\u003cbr\u003eGillon Cameron – violin 2\u003cbr\u003eJordan Bergmans – viola\u003cbr\u003eJames Douglas – cello\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTrack 7 recorded at Total Refreshment Centre, London, April 2021. Engineered by Kristian Craig Robinson.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCassie Kinoshi - alto saxophone\u003cbr\u003eJack Banjo Courtney – trumpet 1\u003cbr\u003eSheila Maurice-Grey – trumpet 2\u003cbr\u003eDeji ljishakin – tenor saxophone\u003cbr\u003eJoe Bristow – trombone\u003cbr\u003eHanna Mbuya – tuba\u003cbr\u003eDeschanel Gordon – piano\u003cbr\u003eShirley Tetteh – guitar\u003cbr\u003eRio Kai – double bass\u003cbr\u003ePatrick Gabriel-Boyle – drums.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll tracks mixed by Dave Vettraino.\u003cbr\u003eMastered by David Allen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eArtwork by GURIBOSH.\u003cbr\u003ePoetry by Belinda Zhawi.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0081 Classic Black vinyl LP","offer_id":50256363028754,"sku":"IARC0081LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0081 Limited Edition *Smoke in the Sun* Color vinyl","offer_id":52120911085842,"sku":"IARC0081LPI","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0081 Compact Disc","offer_id":52120911118610,"sku":"IARC0081CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0081 Digital Download","offer_id":52121000280338,"sku":"IARC0081","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0081 Test Pressing","offer_id":52120911151378,"sku":"IARC0081LP-1","price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a3893985235_10.jpg?v=1773342443"},{"product_id":"ibelisse-guardia-ferragutti-frank-rosaly-mestizx","title":"Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti \u0026 Frank Rosaly - MESTIZX","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eMESTIZX is Bolivian-born singer and multi-medium performer Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti and renowned Chicago expat jazz drummer Frank Rosaly's debut album as co-composers, arrangers and musicians.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePartners in both marriage and art, the Amsterdam-based Ferragutti and Rosaly dove into the sounds of their respective ancestral roots in Bolivia, Brazil, and Puerto Rico to create a deeply personal meditation on decolonization and the defiant power of ritual and protest. They chose the title MESTIZX – a non-gendered version of the sometimes slurred Spanish colonial word for a “mixed person” - as a means of both challenging and embracing the liminality of their identities and artistic practices.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRosaly says: “I grew up quite Puerto Rican in my home, but was taught to mask it outside my home. I wasn’t allowed to speak Spanish, so the drums eventually became my language, secretly tying together my own feeling of connection to mi tierra. This record is the first time I actively give voice to the nuance within myself, allowing me to take ownership of this in-between, which is what this album communicates for me… There is this unusual place that exists between these two cultures, of which I am both. There is a complex story in that sliver of in-betweenness, worthy of giving voice\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eto all of us that live in-between.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFerragutti adds: “My personal understanding is one that stems from being placed in between lineages that carry the colonizer and colonized, the oppressor and oppressed, the demon and the angel… thus by definition is tied to post-colonial social constructs which we as Bolivians have to step in, like a 500 year novel that goes on and on… We have access to many memories and traditions, but not really, because we don’t fully belong to any of those… This makes us feel we're in a constant state of being the “visitors” and “outsiders.” On one hand, we are never truly part of one lineage. On the other hand, it makes us a travelers of worlds, storytellers in between multiple languages, cultures, and worldviews. We chose MESTIZX for this work as an act of recognizing the mixed state of being as a difficult and yet powerful one.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe album was produced and recorded primarily at International Anthem Studios in Chicago, where Ferragutti and Rosaly were joined by a community of musicians and beloved friends including Matt Lux, Avreeayl Ra, Ben LaMar Gay, Daniel Villarreal, Bill MacKay, Rob Frye, and Mikel Patrick Avery, with addditional contributions from Chris Doyle, Guilherme Granado, Viktor Le Givens and Fredy Velásquez.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe music creatively infuses Latin rhythmic patterns and oblong swing from pre-and post-colonial Latin America into a collision of avant jazz, art punk, Chicago post-rock, bomba, plena, cumbia, Andean, minimal, electronica, and folk. A wholly original but undeniably universal sound – both of-the-moment and alluringly futuristic - MESTIZX contains points of reference and resonance for fans of Juana Molina, Café Tacvba, Max Roach \u0026amp; Abbey Lincoln, Liquid Liquid, Arto Lindsay, As Mercenarias, The Ex, Tortoise, Tom Zé, Elza Soares, La Mecanica Popular...\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt’s a vast, vibrant and encompassing spectrum of sounds, but at its core MESTIZX is a lucidly conscious collection of auto-biographical statements from Ferragutti \u0026amp; Rosaly on the deeply personalized effects of colonialism on geography, history, and identity. Despite its heavy subject matter, however, MESTIZX finds a lifeline in communal, celebratory, soul-bearing and movement-inducing music.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eReleased May 3, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0079 Classic Black vinyl LP","offer_id":50256381313298,"sku":"IARC0079LP","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0079 Limited Edition *Red Moon* Color vinyl LP","offer_id":52121002148114,"sku":"IARC0079LPI","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0079 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52121002180882,"sku":"IARC0079CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0079 Digital Download","offer_id":52121002213650,"sku":"IARC0079","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0079 Test Pressing","offer_id":52121002246418,"sku":"IARC0079LP-TP","price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a1116156932_10.jpg?v=1773342421"},{"product_id":"ariel-kalma-jeremiah-chiu-marta-sofia-honer-the-closest-thing-to-silence","title":"Ariel Kalma, Jeremiah Chiu \u0026 Marta Sofia Honer - The Closest Thing to Silence","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eIn August 2022, Australia-based, French born fourth-world music legend Ariel Kalma was invited to participate in BBC Radio 3’s Late Junction series of special collaborations. The program pairs artists who have not previously worked together to create new music cooperatively.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKalma was quick to suggest working with two musicians whom he had never met – International Anthem recording artists Jeremiah Chiu \u0026amp; Marta Sofia Honer, whose critically-acclaimed duo debut 'Recordings from the Åland Islands' had been released just a few months earlier. An invitation was sent to Chiu and Honer, which was received with great enthusiasm, as Chiu had long been a fan of Kalma’s work, even citing him as a major influence on his approach to electronic music composition.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe essential structure of the Late Junction collaboration was that the artists would work together to create around twenty minutes of music. They began passing music back and forth, some that Kalma had started, and some that Honer \u0026amp; Chiu had started, with each adding to or editing the track before returning it to the other. The music would only go back and forth a few times before being finalized.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter meeting their twenty minute goal for the program\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(four pieces total), the three musicians were satisfied in what they would present and sent along their work to the producers of Late Junction. However, there was a nagging suspicion that this wasn’t the end of the story. There were several pieces that they had nearly completed but that weren’t sent for inclusion in the radio program, and there were many ideas for refining those pieces that had. With this in mind Kalma, Chiu and Honer agreed that they would continue to work together to try to push the music further. The freshly minted trio felt like there was much more to be said and more work to be done. The Late Junction program was broadcast in September of 2022. Simultaneously, Kalma, Chiu and Honer began expanding upon the music they had started for the purpose of the broadcast, working diligently on the music for several months.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTheir collective approach to this work was born in improvisation and realized via collage-based editing. The end result brings several distinct musical moments — recorded sometimes decades apart — into conversation with one another, forming new narratives from building blocks of old ones. There are snippets of improvised playing from each musician, edited together with recordings that Kalma had made in the 70s at GRM, and even moments of audio notes — like Kalma explaining his ideas — that would make it into the final mixes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUltimately, the collection of music highlights the work of all three musicians, intertwining the contextual immersion heard on Chiu \u0026amp; Honer’s 'Recordings from the Åland Islands' with an intergenerational reverence for (and the undeniable presence of) Kalma’s decades-spanning body of work. It is work that has definitively enshrined him as one of the true, transcendent pioneers and sages of new age and fourth-world music. That reverence is affirmed by the album title chosen by the group — \"The Closest Thing to Silence\" — which is taken from a quote by Kalma included in a documentary by RVNG Intl (as part of their release of the 2014 compendium\/retrospective An Evolutionary Music). Perhaps coincidental, Kalma’s quote was a slight modulation of a legendary ECM Records motto, as he said: “Music is the closest thing to silence.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReleased February 2, 2024\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0077  LP - Limited Edition “Mullumbimby Blue” Color Vinyl","offer_id":52611336470802,"sku":"IARC0077LPX","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0077 LP - Classic Black vinyl","offer_id":50256495902994,"sku":"IARC0077LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0077 LP - Limited Edition \"Silent Gray\" Color Vinyl","offer_id":52120909840658,"sku":"IARC0077LPI","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0077 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52120909873426,"sku":"IARC0077CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0077 Digital Download","offer_id":52120999067922,"sku":"IARC0077","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a3064571280_10.jpg?v=1773342339"},{"product_id":"angel-bat-dawid-requiem-for-jazz","title":"Angel Bat Dawid - Requiem for Jazz","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eComposer, clarinetist, singer and educator Angel Bat Dawid announces the release of a new work, Requiem For Jazz. A 12-movement suite composed, arranged, and inspired in part by dialogue from Edward O. Bland’s 1959 film The Cry of Jazz, the album is a wide-ranging treatise on the African American story from one of its most astute narrators.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eItself an incisive critique of racial politics in the USA, The Cry of Jazz draws formal comparisons between the structure of jazz music and the African American experience - as one of freedom and restraint, of joy and suffering - that manifests in the triumph of spirit over the crushing prejudice of daily life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCutting together archive reels from Black neighborhoods in Chicago with live performance footage from Sun Ra and his Arkestra among others, the film remains a radical and prescient evocation of Black pride and its roots in the history of jazz, from spirituals to blues and beyond.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs South African writer Nombuso Mathibela captures in the album’s liner notes:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[Music is our weapon of struggle]\u003cbr\u003ethat radiantly holds our positive aspiration\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e, group pride and determination as Black people. Sonics! our beautiful fire that gave light to the world.\u003cbr\u003eAnd a world that gave us blues. The blues that gave us Black in jazz\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDrawing a through line to today’s vibrant avant-garde, Angel Bat Dawid’s Requiem For Jazz picks up the liberation work laid out by Bland’s film, taking the message of joy and suffering within the Black classical tradition into a contemporary setting.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMusic from the project was originally premiered at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival in Chicago in 2019, where Angel conducted a multigenerational fifteen-piece instrumental ensemble of Black musicians from across Chicago’s creative community, alongside a four-person choir (featuring singers from Black Monument Ensemble) as well as dancers and visual artists.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecordings from the performance were then mixed and post-produced by Angel, who added interludes, vocals and additional sounds. As well as transcribing a piece from the film, Requiem For Jazz also alludes to The Cry of Jazz through contributions from the Sun Ra Arkestra’s Marshall Allen and Knoel Scott on the album’s final movement, which were recorded remotely at the historic Arkestral Institute of Sun Ra in Philadelphia in late 2020.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I want us to have this very wonderful conversation that Ed Bland started over 50 years ago and I want to continue the conversation; because this is a loving conversation that we need to have with each other” - Angel Bat Dawid, Feb 2023\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased March 24, 2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRequiem for Jazz Composed, Arranged, Conducted \u0026amp; Mixed by Angel Bat Dawid\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eexcept “My Rhapsody,” from the 1959 Ed Bland film “The Cry of Jazz,” composed by Paul Severson \u0026amp; Norman Leist (Glenayre Publishing Co. BMI), arranged by Angel Bat Dawid.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLyrics include extracts from “The Cry of Jazz” and the Roman Catholic Liturgical Requiem Missal.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRequiem for Jazz Intros\/Interludes Composed, Produced, Mixed \u0026amp; Performed by Angel Bat Dawid\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRequiem for Jazz premiered Sept, 30th 2019 at the Reva \u0026amp; David Logan Center for the Arts in Chicago, IL. Commissioned for the 2019 Annual Hyde Park Jazz Festival.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded Live by Najee-Zaid Searcy \u0026amp; Dave Vettraino\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMastered by Najee-Zaid Searcy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTha ArkeStarzz:\u003cbr\u003ePiano - Dr. Charles Joseph Smith\u003cbr\u003eContrabass - Jeremiah Hunt\u003cbr\u003ePercussion - Vincent Davis\u003cbr\u003eAuxiliary Instruments - Xristian Espinoza\u003cbr\u003eElectronics - Norman W. Long\u003cbr\u003eFlute - Dr. Adam Zanolini\u003cbr\u003eClarinet - Hannah Washington\u003cbr\u003eTrumpet - Sam Thousand\u003cbr\u003eSoprano Saxophone - Isaiah Collier\u003cbr\u003eAlto Saxophone - Fred Jackson Jr.\u003cbr\u003eTenor Saxophone - Kwesaiah\u003cbr\u003eViolin - J’Niya Blunt\u003cbr\u003eViolin - DaJour Smith\u003cbr\u003eViola - Michelle Manson\u003cbr\u003eCello - Olula\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTha Choruzz:\u003cbr\u003eSoprano - Tramaine Parker\u003cbr\u003eAlto - Monique Golding\u003cbr\u003eTenor - Deacon Julian Otis Cooke\u003cbr\u003eBaritone - Phillip Armstrong\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSpecial Cosmic Guests on “Lux Aeterna- Eternal Light\/My Rhapsody”:\u003cbr\u003eMarshall Allen - Alto Sax, Ewi\u003cbr\u003eKnoel Scott - Percussion\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDancers:\u003cbr\u003eViktor Le Givens\u003cbr\u003eAquarius\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSet Design:\u003cbr\u003eViktor Le Givens\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eVisualz:\u003cbr\u003eJonathan Woods\u003cbr\u003eLiz Gomez\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IMRC0061 Classic Black vinyl 2xLP","offer_id":50256734093586,"sku":"IMRC0061LP","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IMRC0061 - Limited Edition *Thy Kingdom Come* Purple color vinyl double LP","offer_id":52120908890386,"sku":"IMRC0061LPI","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IMRC0061 - Compact Disc","offer_id":52120908923154,"sku":"IMRC0061CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IMRC0061 Digital Download","offer_id":52120998412562,"sku":"IMRC0061","price":11.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IMCR0061 Test Pressing","offer_id":52120908955922,"sku":"IMRC0061LP-1","price":60.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a3348922210_10_069a66f4-25bc-4750-9b9a-89741a536e3b.jpg?v=1773691930"},{"product_id":"rob-mazurek-exploding-star-orchestra-lightning-dreamers","title":"Rob Mazurek Exploding Star Orchestra - Lightning Dreamers","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eLightning Dreamers is new work by composer, trumpeter, interdisciplinary abstractivist and modern music mogul Rob Mazurek, who wrote the music for a compacted version of his long-running Exploding Star Orchestra. A follow-up to the acclaimed 2020 Mazurek\/ESO release Dimensional Stardust, the album features guitarist Jeff Parker, vocalist Damon Locks, drummer Gerald Cleaver, and pianists Angelica Sanchez and Craig Taborn, among others. It was recorded mostly at the remote Sonic Ranch studios in West Texas, not far from Mazurek’s current home in Marfa, in the days leading up to a debut of the music at Trans Pecos festival in September 2021. Mixing and post-production was headed by Dave Vettraino from IARC studios in Chicago across 2022.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe album’s opener “Future Shaman” was co-produced by Parker and features added percussion by Mazurek’s longtime São Paulo Underground collaborator Mauricio Takara, as well as synth bass from\u003cbr\u003eCathlene Pineda. The track finds Mazurek and ESO where they left off with Dimensional Stardust – deep in a chromatic beat fantasy of outer-space grooves and Bartok-ian riffs. Vocalist\/MC Locks brings the Orson Welles via Deltron 3030 energy while Taborn and Sanchez face-off from behind Wurlitzer pianos and Moog\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003esynthesizers. On “Dream Sleeper” Locks’s poetry is swirled in drifting storm clouds of fractured atmospherics, both improvised and composed. “Shape Shifter” finds Mazurek recalling a past life of Isotope 217 – not just for the swinging grooves anchored by Moog basslines, but also in that he returns to the trumpet after years of playing cornet. Once the soaring melodic theme is established the ensemble shifts into On The Corner mode, creating a mangled rhythmic base for Taborn’s Wurlitzer runs and clean guitar soloing from Parker, before shapeshifting yet again under Mazurek’s rising polytonal electronics as Locks’s scattered vocal embellishments take us to the promised land.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe album’s whole B-side is an immersive trip that spans two tracks – “Black River” and “White River” – for which Mazurek interwove takes from the Sonic Ranch sessions with live material from an expanded ESO performance recorded in February 2022 at Sons d’Hiver in Paris, France. In the liner notes for Lightning Dreamers, Mazurek writes that the music is “an evocation of a theme from the “Black River Suite,” which I have been revisiting and reimagining over time.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe elaborates: “I spent 3 years of my life on the great Rio Negro in Manaus, Brazil, where the Black and White Rivers meet. It is custom and a kind of rebirthing to take a boat to the dividing\/divining line of these 2 great rivers and dive into and through, as an affirmation of the simple premise (although We All Come from Somewhere Else) that we all come from the same place... the stars. The feeling of moving between and through these great bodies of water is etched in my soul forever. The visual and sonic material (both thematic and imagined) evokes the spirits past, present and future along this mighty river. The undercurrents of time, the movement of storm systems in the sky, the gentle sway of a boat moving upriver, the power and intensity when the wind decides to blow and the torrential rains fall. The sound of the electric eels below, the melodies of the inhabitants along the way, the\u003cbr\u003eshattering blasts from lightning in the sky. The river flows on and on and on.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAmong the artists featured in the recording from Sons d’Hiver is the late jaimie branch, playing synthesizers \u0026amp; electronics behind the guiding trumpet improvisations of Mazurek (whom she long considered a mentor in multiple mediums). She passed away in August 2022, and her earthly absence has since imbued an otherworldly presence into the chaotic riptide of sound on “Black River.” As production wrapped on the album that Fall, Mazurek was moved to present Lightning Dreamers as a dedication to branch’s memory.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased March 31, 2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll music composed by Rob Mazurek (OLHO, ASCAP). Words by Damon Locks.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded at Sonic Ranch, Tornillo, TX, September 23rd \u0026amp; 24th, 2021.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRob Mazurek - director, composer, trumpets, voice, launeddas, electronic treatments\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - guitar\u003cbr\u003eCraig Taborn - wurlitzer, moog matriarch\u003cbr\u003eAngelica Sanchez - wurlitzer, piano, moog sub 37\u003cbr\u003eDamon Locks - voice, electronics, samplers, text\u003cbr\u003eGerald Cleaver - drums\u003cbr\u003eMauricio Takara - electronic percussion, percussion\u003cbr\u003eNicole Mitchell - flute, voice\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Future Shaman\" co-produced by Jeff Parker, with additional synth bass played by Cathlene Pineda.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Black River” and \"Dream Sleeper\" include samples of Exploding Star Orchestra recorded live at Sons d’hiver in Paris, France, on February 3rd, 2022, featuring: Rob Mazurek, jaimie branch, Tomeka Reid, Thomas Roher, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Julien Desprez, Pasquale Mirra, Angelica Sanchez, Damon Locks, Mikel Patrick Avery, Chad Taylor, and Mauricio Takara.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEngineered by: Dave Vettraino.\u003cbr\u003eAdditional Recording by: Jeff Parker, Mauricio Takara, Nicole Mitchell, and Rob Mazurek.\u003cbr\u003eProduced and Mixed by: Dave Vettraino \u0026amp; Rob Mazurek.\u003cbr\u003eMastered by: David Allen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlbum art by: Rob Mazurek Radical Chimeric #1 #2 (mesh, screen, mylar, canvas, video projection) 2022.\u003cbr\u003eInsert Photo by: Britt Mazurek.\u003cbr\u003eDesign by: Craig Hansen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThank You Britt Mazurek.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis album is dedicated to jaimie branch.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0065 Classic Black vinyl LP","offer_id":50256736387346,"sku":"IARC0065LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0065 Limited Edition *Silver Lightning* color vinyl LP","offer_id":52121008406802,"sku":"IARC0065LPS","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0065 Compact Disc","offer_id":52121008439570,"sku":"IARC0065CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0065 Digital Download","offer_id":52121008472338,"sku":"IARC0065","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a0713357999_10.jpg?v=1773342278"},{"product_id":"asher-gamedze-turbulence-and-pulse","title":"Asher Gamedze - Turbulence and Pulse","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eCape Town, South Africa-based drummer Asher Gamedze explores relationships of time between music and history on his new album Turbulence and Pulse, out May 5th 2023.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGamedze’s critically-acclaimed debut album Dialectic Soul was released at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in July 2020. Around the release of that record, with friend and writer Teju Adeleye he organized and participated in a joint online discussion “Poesis,” with historian Robin D.G. Kelley and others. One of the notable comments made in this session was by the poet and scholar Fred Moten, who described Gamedze’s drumming as an “amazing interplay between turbulence and pulse. Pulse is supposed to regulate and also be regular, but the turbulence underneath it and on top of it, it’s just extraordinary.” Moten added that this concept is a fundamental element of the percussive approach in Black music more broadly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTurbulence and Pulse takes its title from this moment of synchronicities. Inspired by this description, Gamedze developed the metaphor further, expanding the concept of turbulence and pulse through the lens of history. “Time in music is a metaphor for thinking about time in history and how time moves,” he says. “The way we’re taught history is generally in a way that robs people of\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eagency in imagining themselves as part of history and how it unfolds. It is something that happens to us. I think there's a productive metaphor in that because the sense of time in music is created by musicians playing together. If we can use that to think about history and time in history, you can see that, actually, history is created by people in a whole range of ways. At the heart of it, historical motion is created by people organized and acting together, whether for progressive or reactionary ends.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor Gamedze, the underlying message of Turbulence and Pulse is “to claim a form of historical agency and realize that the future is not a foregone conclusion. As people we can organize, to transform our world in small and big ways.” This concept comes out of Gamedze’s involvement in radical cultural work and political organizing. He adds: “One of the ideas that I've had for a long time is to unsettle the way that people think about culture as something static or as something fixed. There’s this tension in Africa, because of the way that the colonists have constructed visions of African culture, where people speak about this need to conserve culture and document it. I think that's important, but you also have to understand that these things are moving. And we are the people who have to participate in that movement.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor the album artwork, Gamedze extends the visual aesthetic of his previous release with a hand-drawn illustration. “I feel like my drawings represent the inside of my mind. It’s very free and improvisational,” he says. Friend and designer Naadira Patel worked with Gamedze to design the final cover layout, which includes liner notes penned by his sister, writer and artist Thuli Gamedze.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTurbulence and Pulse comes via the partnership of Chicago-based International Anthem and Johannesburg-based Mushroom Hour Half Hour, as the first collaborative release by the two labels. - album writeup by Atiyyah Khan\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReleased May 5, 2023\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0057 Classic Black gatefold 2xLP","offer_id":50256739238162,"sku":"IARC0057LP","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0057 Limited Edition *One Drop* color vinyl 2xLP","offer_id":52120909938962,"sku":"IARC0057LPI","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0057 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52120909971730,"sku":"IARC0057CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0057 Digital Download","offer_id":52120999100690,"sku":"IARC0057","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a0792804420_10.jpg?v=1773342246"},{"product_id":"daniel-villarreal-lados-b","title":"Daniel Villarreal - Lados B","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDescription:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eOn October 15th and 16th, 2020, drummer Daniel Villarreal was joined by guitarist Jeff Parker and bassist Anna Butterss for two afternoons of recording in the backyard of Chicali Outpost in Los Angeles. For all three musicians, it was the first ensemble recording session they’d done in-person since the pandemic locked the world down just seven months prior. Some choice moments from these sessions made it onto Villarreal’s critically-acclaimed 2022 album Panamá 77, but most of the music remained unreleased.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLados B is a deep dive into the high-level spontaneous music made by Villarreal, Parker, and Butterss across those two days in 2020. Villarreal is heard leading the group through various rhythmic modes and structures for improvisation – flow as informed by the Latin funk of Fania Records as it is by the otherworldly humanity trance of Brain Records – while Parker and Butterss draw on their extensive experience playing free together (as heard on Parker's recently-released Mondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy, and the LA side of Makaya McCraven's 2018 LP Universal Beings) to build harmonic buoys for their spontaneous melodicism. The result is a beautifully vivid illustration of context, creativity, and collective composition from a particularly rich moment in history.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased October 6, 2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDaniel Villarreal – drums, percussion\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker – guitar\u003cbr\u003eAnna Butterss – double bass, electric bass\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRhodes piano on “Salute” by Neal Francis.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded by Ben Lumsdaine, October 15-16, 2020,\u003cbr\u003eat Chicali Outpost, Los Angeles CA.\u003cbr\u003eAdditional Recording by Dave Vettraino.\u003cbr\u003eMixed by Dave Vettraino and Daniel Villarreal.\u003cbr\u003eMastered by David Allen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Daniel Villarreal, Dave Vettraino, and Scott McNiece.\u003cbr\u003ePhotos by Carolina Sánchez.\u003cbr\u003eTitles by Natalie Miller.\u003cbr\u003eDesign by Craig Hansen.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0071 LP - Limited Edition \"Expired Film Orange\" color vinyl","offer_id":52611381330194,"sku":"IARC0071LPX","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0071 LP - Classic Black vinyl","offer_id":50256957309202,"sku":"IARC0071LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0071 LP - Limited Edition ''Cigar Smoke'' color vinyl","offer_id":52121000673554,"sku":"IARC0071LPI","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0071 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52121000706322,"sku":"IARC0071CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0071 Digital Download","offer_id":52121000739090,"sku":"IARC0071","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a4049990247_10.jpg?v=1773342134"},{"product_id":"thandi-ntuli-with-carlos-nino-rainbow-revisited","title":"Thandi Ntuli with Carlos Niño - Rainbow Revisited","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eLiner Notes by Thandi Ntuli:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI travelled to Los Angeles and the USA for the first time in 2019. Although I had not met Carlos in person, we connected via Instagram where he saw a video of me playing a piano motif (titled ‘The One’ in this sequence) that he really liked and expressed a wish to record. This was around 2017. We tried a few times to get me over to Los Angeles, but the timing was always off. Through a performance organised by a creative collective called The Nonsemble at The Ford Theatre we finally got the opportunity to meet, play together and subsequently go into studio to record some improvisations as he guided the recording process.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHaving been aware of some of his work – in particular his collaborative projects as Carlos Niño \u0026amp; Friends, as well as with his friend and long-time collaborator, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson – I knew that, with Carlos as producer, the artistic direction of the album would likely take me to a place I’d never considered going. A fact that had me both curious and terrified (as one tends to be when stepping into the unknown) Lol!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInitially keen to record the song that he had seen\/heard me play on Instagram, our performance a few days before the\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003esession drew him to the song Rainbow off my sophomore album, Exiled (2018). On that zen-like California afternoon in Andy Kravitz’s cozy studio in Venice Beach, he encouraged me to play around with various iterations of Rainbow. “Try it this way”, “How about adding that?”, “Can you breathe into the mic?”, “What if you focus on the last section?”, and many other explorations that eventually went through a few cuts, edits, yays and nays to become this body of work. Rainbow Revisited was birthed through that session, another session a couple of days later, and a series of many small synchronicities that led up to that moment.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA particularly special moment for me was when he invited me to play something from home, which lent itself to me recording a song originally written by my grandfather that we often sing when at family gatherings. The song is called Nomayoyo.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo much has happened since that session in late 2019. Many changes in our personal and collective universes. Losses and gains, births and transitions into the next life, Mother Nature’s ever-constant cycles reminding me that through all the chaos there remains, just beneath, this perfect order in Her ebb and flow. And most importantly, reminding me to feel for Her and to listen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe speaks!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf Rainbow in my initial birthing of it, expressed a discontent with what we have accepted as freedom in South Africa and, possibly, around the world, I’d like to think that Rainbow Revisited is some kind of a response. Where the idea of ‘the rainbow nation’, with all the baggage it carried, had hijacked the innocence and mystical nature of a rainbow, I now reclaim its meaning through going back, going inward, healing, and rebuilding with the hope of a less heart-breaking and more fulfilling tomorrow.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLihlanzekile!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased November 17, 2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThandi Ntuli: Piano, Synthesizer, Tongo, Voice\u003cbr\u003eCarlos Niño: Cymbals, Percussion, Plants\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded by Andy Kravitz at Studio 4 West, Venice Beach, California, August 2019.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAdditional Recording by Carlos Niño.\u003cbr\u003eProduced and Mixed by Carlos Niño.\u003cbr\u003eMastered by David Allen and Dave Vettraino.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCover Art by Shabaka Hutchings.\u003cbr\u003ePoem by Thandi Ntuli.\u003cbr\u003eInsert Photo by Thandi Ntuli.\u003cbr\u003eGraphic Design and Layout by Craig Hansen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThandi’s Thank You’s:\u003cbr\u003eMy gratitude to you Carlos for conceiving and believing. For your\u003cbr\u003ehumanity and enthusiasm. All the years that this album was in the\u003cbr\u003emaking, and still so excited about it, if not more-so now. Scottie\u003cbr\u003eand David of International Anthem for your care and unrelenting\u003cbr\u003ebelief in this project. It is an honour to be in partnership with you.\u003cbr\u003eThank you, as well, to Shabaka for your contribution and energy\u003cbr\u003eby means of the artwork. I am so glad we were able to have your\u003cbr\u003evoice included in such a beautiful and fitting way.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo Umdali… Always in all ways, I remain committed to Love\u003cbr\u003eand being in service of you.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo all those who come before me, in my lineage, in\u003cbr\u003econsciousness, in deeds and musically. And to all those who\u003cbr\u003ehave just arrived and are still to come, who keep us hoping,\u003cbr\u003estriving, and dreaming.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNgiyabonga!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo all who receive this music and complete the circle by giving\u003cbr\u003ethis work meaning, thank you!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd finally, to Graeme… I dedicate my contribution to this\u003cbr\u003ealbum to Dr Graeme Gilfillan who left us just when we\u003cbr\u003econcluded the final details of the album. Like I’d always say to\u003cbr\u003eyou “not all heroes wear capes”. May you be welcomed by a\u003cbr\u003egreat party of all the artists you fought for whilst you walked on\u003cbr\u003ethis earth. There aren’t enough thank you-s for what you have\u003cbr\u003edone for me and how you have empowered me. Thank you for\u003cbr\u003ewalking the walk and being a real one!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKuyosala izibongo.\u003cbr\u003ePhambili!\u003cbr\u003eAyabonga amaPhemba, nabo bonke abahamba nami!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTill we meet again.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCarlos's Thank You's:\u003cbr\u003eThandi, what an Honor and Joy to make this Album\u003cbr\u003ewith You, Scottie McNiece, Francesca and Cosmo,\u003cbr\u003eDavid Allen, Alejandro Ayala, International Anthem,\u003cbr\u003eAndy Kravitz, the Wizard, Studio 4 West, The World Stage,\u003cbr\u003eAlex Kelman, Third Side Music, Jason Sugars, Kali Malikah,\u003cbr\u003eGreg Paul, David Otis, Ken Barrientos, Siya Makuzeni,\u003cbr\u003eShabaka Hutchings, Abdullah Ibrahim \/ Dollar Brand,\u003cbr\u003eTownhouse Venice, Louie \u0026amp; Netty Ryan, Novena Carmel,\u003cbr\u003eAlix Fisher, Nate Mercereau, Banch Abegaze, Jesse Peterson,\u003cbr\u003eTravis Lett, Jason Lader, Aaron Wiggs, Laraaji,\u003cbr\u003eClaudia Niño, Je Stabenau, Annelise and Mossy . . .\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0073 Classic Black vinyl LP","offer_id":50256971006226,"sku":"IARC0073LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0073 Limited Edition *Pot of Gold* Color Vinyl","offer_id":52121009455378,"sku":"IARC0073LPI","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0073 Compact Disc","offer_id":52121009488146,"sku":"IARC0073CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0073 Digital Download","offer_id":52121009520914,"sku":"IARC0073","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a2237445642_10.jpg?v=1773342080"},{"product_id":"alabaster-deplume-a-blade-because-a-blade-is-whole","title":"Alabaster DePlume - A Blade Because A Blade Is Whole","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eAlbum Notes by Liz Pelly:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlabaster DePlume often asks a simple question: what do people need? In his work, at his shows, in his collaborations, the Mancunian singer-saxophonist and poet-philosopher poses this to the people around him. What are people looking for? In recent years, the same reply kept coming up: healing, healing, people need healing. But why, and what does it mean to heal, especially in a world where the very idea is often commodified and sold as a luxury? If people were coming to his music for something so mysterious, he ought to figure it out. Maybe he ought to try some healing himself.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“For a long time, I've always tried to give responsibility for my value to someone else,” DePlume told me on a recent phone call. It seemed he’d become so caught up in the work of forging connections, and thinking about the effects of his work on others, that he’d lost a sense of himself. “I was working on that,” he explained.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis experiment in healing included slowing down, reading, reflecting, and even taking up the practice of jiu-jitsu. DePlume wrote poetry, too, including the book 'Looking for my value: prologue to a blade', seventy pages of verse rooted in its title’s great search, in finding strength of self within a community, alongside\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003emeditations on the paradox of the blade. “The blade, that divides, is whole,” he writes in the introduction. “Healing is the forming of a whole, and a whole is singular, more itself, as in more one, as in more alone.” A blade could be used to attack, to shave, to sever, but it could also be used to cut oneself loose—in the process of getting free.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“What's the opposite of sleep? It’s trying to sleep,” he told me. “And so what's the opposite of looking for my value? It is knowing my value. It simply is there. My dignity is there. I don't need anyone else to know my dignity, or me, to know it. I know it first. I can't seek it from another. I stand for it.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSelections from the poetry book ultimately became the lyrics across half of the tracks on 'A Blade Because A Blade Is Whole', DePlume’s latest full-length work for the reliably great International Anthem label: eleven songs of agency and survival and presence; of confronting life’s pains rather than trying to avoid them; of banishing escapism. In sum, it documents his learning of the fact that dignity and self-determination are prerequisites for becoming whole, which is to say, for healing. If a blade were broken it would not serve its purpose; it must be unbroken, it must be whole, to be of use.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the Alabaster DePlume songbook, the celestial ease of his instrumental tracks can sometimes feel like a trojan horse for a voice that is disarmingly honest about the heaviness of existence. Opener “Oh My Actual Days” is true to form in that sense, with DePlume’s tenor sax and Macie Stewart’s ghostly strings playing together like a slow march towards an inner reckoning, one that’s beautiful because it is true. The punchy and contemplative “Thank You My Pain” makes a rhythmic refrain from his titular lyric, inspired by the Vietnamese monk and peace activist Thích Nhất Hạnh, who urged the importance of listening to one’s own pain. “Hello my little pain, I know you are here,” Nhất Hạnh would say. “I am home to take care of you. I do not want to cover you up with consumption anymore.” While writing A Blade, DePlume “watched loads of him on YouTube.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen there’s the gorgeous swell of “Invincibility,” an ode to self-respect that feels a bit like a choir of angels led by a trickster, a group contemplating: how do we live with the forces that seek to destroy us? The whole song feels like a heavy exhale, or like the feeling of reaching the surface after a long while underwater. “If I meet with my feelings, they cannot destroy me,” he told me. “When I allow myself to embody them, physically, then I live through that feeling and I meet with it and I make peace with it and I find that my feeling is me, and I welcome it. It is a sense that I cannot be destroyed by my feeling. I am invincible.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Form a V” is the closest DePlume comes to a monologue, and also his song most indebted to his jiu-jitsu practice. “I’ve only been doing it for the past two or three years,” he told me. “But now I don’t know how you get by without it.” The song takes inspiration from a tradition where a whole dojo will stand in the shape of a V, facing just one lone individual, who is then attacked quickly and repeatedly by each of the others. “The title is a challenge to the world,” DePlume explained. “Go on, form a v—I am ready.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAcross the first half of the record, when the sax comes in short phrases, it feels like a highlighter over lines in DePlume’s poetry book. Other times, it plays out like an extension of his voice. “Playing the saxophone feels like singing,” he said. A transfixing run of instrumentals on the second half of the record includes “Prayer for My Sovereign Dignity,” an anthem for self-possession. “Believing in yourself feels ridiculous,” he says. “It's ridiculous, but that's what it takes. That's what's required. To stand for yourself is absurd. Let us do the absurd that is standing for ourselves. There is this prayer going on in the background—you can't quite tell what the words are, but it's basically, I'm praying for my sovereign dignity but I don't need to pray for it. It's not going to be given to me. I already have it.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhere DePlume’s previous material was drawn from collective sessions, improvisation, and editing, A Blade was tightly composed, arranged and produced by DePlume himself. From there, he brought his compositions to a cast of players and co-arrangers, including Macie Stewart (strings), Donna Thompson (backing vocals), and Momoko Gill (strings and backing vocals), for sessions at the collective arts space Total Refreshment Centre, where he has long been involved.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBorn Gus Fairbairn, DePlume is a man of many past lives. He played “rock band type music” as a teenager, and started playing improvised music around 2008. He is compelled by how improvising allows him to “put faith in others.” He taught himself the saxophone around the time that he became employed as a support worker assisting men with mental disabilities; he once called playing music with them “one of the best breakthroughs for me as an artist.” His debut as Alabaster DePlume came in May 2012, while he was still living in Manchester. He moved to London in 2015 and took up residency at Total Refreshment Centre, where he was encouraged to put on a monthly concert, leading to the series Peach, releasing a namesake album that year, too. His music, from the start, has been imbued with his politics and values; he was maybe arrested once during a protest with the environmental group Extinction Rebellion. His proper international breakthrough came in 2020 with 'To Cy \u0026amp; Lee: Instrumentals Vol. 1', after nearly a decade of steadily releasing records.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn a phone call in the fall of 2024, we barely speak about any of this though. For at least an hour, we mostly just speak about his recent trip to Palestine, and how could we not? DePlume had traveled to Bethlehem in the spring for a conference hosted by a local Lutheran pastor, before meeting up with musicians from a community arts space, the Wonder Cabinet, and the independent radio station, Radio Alhara. “Palestine is a place where people make records,” he says. “I want to normalize the dignity of that. It's not like, oh, I'm going to make a thing about Palestine. I am just there, and I'm making a thing.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt the end of 2024, DePlume prefaced A Blade with a collection of recent works: the poetry book and a three-track EP partially recorded in Bethlehem, and in collaboration with Palestinian musicians. There’s “Honeycomb” and “Cremisan,” both recorded during his “Sounds of Places” residency at Wonder Cabinet; “Cremisan” documents the conclusion of a daylong performance presented by Wonder Cabinet and Radio alHara, June 1, 2024, described as “a cry from the Cremisan Valley (Bethlehem, Palestine) to Rafah (Gaza).” The EP’s final recording, “Gifts of Olive,” references the soul-wrenching poem “If I Must Die” by Refaat Alareer, professor of English literature at the Islamic University in Gaza, who was killed by an Israeli airstrike in 2023.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo suggest that dignity is a human right we are all entitled to is to say: by nature of being alive, every human life has worth. Contemplating the very concept of human dignity also raises the daily indignities that are so normalized in a world of suffering. The lack of access to clean water, air, housing, healthcare. Without the basic necessities of life, we cannot know dignity. And how can people know dignity if they are living under a constant state of military attack, if they are living as the target of a genocide?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The album was written before the genocide started, but I had Palestine on my mind all the time,” DePlume explains. “This question of dignity, sovereignty, and the work of healing. It has a relevance in what's being perpetrated there by the Israeli state, and taking responsibility for my place in that. I pay my taxes here in the United Kingdom—I am contributing to, as a white Englishman, the country that brought the Balfour Declaration, that brought the Sykes-Picot Agreement, that supports and enables the colonization and the settler-colonial project in Palestine. It is my issue, and I have a position where I can speak about it.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Dignity” has roots in the Latin dignitatem: worthiness. And instilling the plain truth of every human life’s worth has been a recurring commitment in DePlume’s work. “They can’t use us on one another if we don’t forget we’re precious,” he sang in 2022, summing the emotional core of his 2022 album 'GOLD', concerns of shared humanity that play out into the new works as well.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“We make stories in our lives,” DePlume says. “Oh, I need my story. Oh, something bad happened, and I need to heal upon that. Then I will be healed and all will be good, happily ever after. But no, it is work that needs doing all the time. We all are wounded in our many different ways. And there are degrees of healed, or wounded. Basically, we are either doing one thing or we're doing the other. How do I know I am not destroying myself? I only know that when I am working on healing.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased March 7, 2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlabaster DePlume – voice, tenor and baritone sax, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, synths\u003cbr\u003eConrad Singh – electric guitar\u003cbr\u003eDonna Thompson – drums, voice, vocal arrangement for Invincibility\u003cbr\u003eHannah Miller – cello\u003cbr\u003eJohn Ellis – piano\u003cbr\u003eMacie Stewart – violin, string arrangements\u003cbr\u003eMikey Kenney – violin, voice\u003cbr\u003eMomoko Gill – voice, drums, string arrangement for Form a V\u003cbr\u003eRozi Plain – bass\u003cbr\u003eRuth Goller – bass, voice\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eComposed and Produced by Alabaster DePlume, except Salty Road Dogs Victory Anthem, co-composed with Conrad Singh, Momoko Gill and Rozi Plain.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded to analogue tape at Total Refreshment Centre\u003cbr\u003eEngineered \u0026amp; recorded by Kristian Craig Robinson, except Invincibility, Kuzushi and Too True engineered \u0026amp; recorded by Alabaster DePlume\u003cbr\u003eStrings engineered by Dave Vettraino\u003cbr\u003eMixed by Dilip Harris\u003cbr\u003eMastered by David Allen\u003cbr\u003eArtwork by Rebecca Salvadori\u003cbr\u003ePortrait photo by Chris Almeida\u003cbr\u003eDesign \u0026amp; Layout by Aaron Lowell Denton\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0090 Classic Black vinyl LP","offer_id":51044684333330,"sku":"IARC0090LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0090 Limited Edition ''That Was My Garden'' Color Vinyl LP","offer_id":52115723223314,"sku":"IARC0090LPI","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0090 CD - Compact disc","offer_id":52115723256082,"sku":"IARC0090CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0090 Digital Download","offer_id":52120998215954,"sku":"IARC0090","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a2823532332_10.jpg?v=1773342050"},{"product_id":"tortoise-touch","title":"Tortoise - Touch","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eThe songs on Touch, the first new Tortoise music in nine years, are dramas without words. They’re elaborately appointed and carefully mixed to enhance a familiar feeling — a distinctly cinematic uneasiness. Close your eyes and you might see cars swerving around unlit rural roads, or cityscapes at night with bells clanging in the distance, or some abandoned warehouse where spies chase each other between towering stacks of boxes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe making of Touch is an entirely different kind of film — a heartwarming story of musicians adapting to life circumstances.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTortoise operates as a collective; the five multi-instrumentalists make records by committee, seeking input on creative decisions large and small. All ideas are considered, and for most of the band’s influential three-decade run, the process has been straightforward: Each musician brings in songs or sketches, and as the group absorbs them, the players exchange ideas about the structure, instrumentation, different grooves or (more frequently, because they’re Tortoise) odd metric divisions that might stretch the initial conception of the song.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThese discussions have always happened in real time, face to face. Until Touch. As guitarist and keyboardist Jeff Parker\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eexplains, over the last decade, the members of Tortoise scattered geographically, making the pre-production rehearsal sessions if not impossible, at least more complicated.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“It’s the first record we’ve done where everything wasn’t based in Chicago,” says Parker. “Two of us are in Chicago. Two of us are here in Los Angeles and John [McEntire] is in Portland, OR. We recorded in several different places. But the strange thing is, in a way it’s kind of the most cohesive session that we’ve done.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMcEntire, who plays drums, percussion, and keyboards and serves as mixing engineer, had little doubt that the actual recording would be fine. His apprehension was about those more open-ended development sessions leading up to the recording, which, he says, have been known to yield moments of peak Tortoise inspiration. “We don't work remotely, unfortunately. We kind of all have to be in the room together. For me the trial-and-error stage is very important. I didn’t want to lose that.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe percussionist and multi-instrumentalist John Herndon explains one reason why: The path to a “final” version of a Tortoise tune is not a straight line. “It becomes writing and arranging and editing and orchestrating and sort of getting things into a sonic space that feels good, all at the same time.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere was consensus about that; each of the musicians has a story about songs being transformed by the collaborative dynamic. Percussionist and keyboardist Dan Bitney recalls a session when they were working on one of his tunes. He wasn’t happy with it and promised to come up with a countermelody. “Right away somebody just asked “Does it need a melody? Like, why does this need a melody? And I’m like, “Yeah!” That’s the kind of thinking that can open your eyes.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the initial planning for the new record, the band arrived at what seemed like a reasonable geographic compromise: They’d set up shop at studios in three different areas — Los Angeles, Portland, and Chicago. They scheduled sessions with sometimes months in between, so that everyone could sit with the material and refine it further. The plan: To shift some of the wild idea-chasing of those development sessions from group work to individual work, building on Tortoise’s deep and iconoclastic lexicon of sounds — and on the trust between musicians that’s accrued over decades of music-making.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“It’s like, humans adapt,” Herndon says flatly. In order to keep making music as a group, he explains, everyone needed to be flexible then and remain so now. “If you’re used to doing something one way, and then it flips, well, you have to adapt to another way of working. I think that that's what we all were aspiring to do with this, endeavoring to kick in our adaptation skills.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStill, it wasn’t smooth sailing. “I’m going to be honest, I think that we had some doubts” after the first set of sessions, McEntire recalls. Noting that four years elapsed from the beginning of Touch to its completion, he adds that “it took a long, long time for the music to coalesce. There was some ‘what are we doing?’ questioning going on along the way.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDouglas McCombs, who plays guitar, bass, and the deep-voiced bass VI guitar that adds a noir luster to “Night Gang” and other Touch songs, believes that questioning would have happened regardless of the geographical challenges. “In the best circumstance, there’s a flow when we’re working on a tune. Everyone’s sparking ideas and inspired. It’s not work.” He adds, “In the worst moments, when we just absolutely don’t know what to do with something, it’s torturous.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHerdon points to the early versions of “Vexations,” which became the new album’s opening track, as one such slow-torture situation. “We were confounded as to figuring out an arrangement, and things were just stuck,” he recalls. During one of the long lulls between the studio sessions, Herndon says, he got an idea for the tune. “I asked John if I could have the stems [the individual track files] for the song, and then I kind of did a reworking in the garage. Re-did the drums completely and made a breakdown section in the middle. I sent it and was like, ‘I don't know if this is anything, but here.’ And those guys seemed really excited about it.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHerndon quickly adds that every Tortoise record has benefitted from similar experimentation. In fact, it’s the key thing, a defining characteristic: “Sometimes doing an edit will leave a space open for something else, and we’re all into that idea of, ‘What happens next?’ It’s this attitude of ‘Let’s make some music together and see what happens.’ We're all comfortable with the not knowing, with letting an idea go through many permutations.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlong with that is the knowledge that this open-ended exploring can be time-consuming. And might possibly end in futility. McCombs says that though the band’s approach changed with Touch, the players still needed the mindset they’d used in those brainstorming rehearsals. “When I get frustrated or when we seem like we're stalling out a little bit, I just have to remember that patience is one of the things that makes this band work.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAsked to recall a moment that required patience, McCombs doesn’t hesitate. “It seems to happen a lot with the drummers,” McCombs says. “Somebody will be like, ‘Hey John [McEntire] why don’t you play this?’ And he’ll be like, ‘I don’t wanna play it cause I hear Herndon here.’ It’s like McEntire hears Herdon and Herndon hears Bitney… That happens a lot, and then they’ll come to a consensus. Sometimes half the song will be one drummer and half the song will be another drummer. That’s kind of the way it works.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt must be said: When things click into place, Tortoise is a rare force. Whether cranking out a foursquare rock backbeat or chopping time into polyrhythmic shards that defy counting (and logic), the band challenges accepted notions of what rock music can be, what moods it can evoke — that’s part of the reason the band is revered so widely, among musicians working in many genres.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTortoise’s indescribable sonic arrays have grown more intense — and more influential — over time. Early works — the 1993 debut and the 1996 Millions Now Living Will Never Die, which opens with a twenty-one-minute suite — contrast the thick harmonic schemes of Krautrock with the similarly impenetrable densities of musique concrete, adding jarring spears of electric guitar as spice accents. The commercial breakthroughs that followed, TNT (1998) and Standards (2001) found Tortoise further expanding its toolkit: Rather than orient each piece around declarative single-line melodies, the musicians let the vast, lush, inviting scenes become a hypnotic wordless narrative, built from overlapping layers and interlocking rhythms.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEach step in the discography underscores a truth about Tortoise: The questions about arrangement and orchestration are foundational, defining the scope of the canvas and the density of the band’s exactingly precise soundscapes. There can, as McCombs notes, be multiple drummers on a track, and their beats can be supported by acoustic percussion or random electronic blippage. Likewise, on any given track, there can be multiple mallet parts, sometimes sustaining gorgeous washes of color, at other times pounding out intricate Steve Reich-style interlocked grids of harmony. There can be multiple guitars, each with its own earthshaking effects profile. (Parker laughs when he says “I’m kind of like the straight man with the guitar sounds.”) There can be multiple synthesizers — darting squiggles of lead lines crashing into asymmetrical arpeggios, or bliss-toned drones hovering in the upper-middle register like a cloud in a landscape painting.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd there can be noise, all kinds of it: While the working method of Touch meant Tortoise sacrificed some spontaneous sparks, it encouraged the musicians to explore the thickening textural possibilities of different flavors of noise (white, pink, etc). The band recently issued a set of remixes for the single “Oganesson.” The more austere, stripped-down interpretations offer telling insights about the deployment of noise as well as the track-by-track assembly process, the ways Tortoise uses open space, textural layers, and dissonances to create drama.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMcEntire believes those little devices are essential to the sound. “Because we don't have a singer, we have to have a different vocabulary for creating interest. So we use all the little things, like dynamics, texture, orchestration.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGiven the intricacy of the music, McEntire explains, every little sound starts as a decision in the recording studio, and then, subsequently, becomes a logistical decision for live performance — after all, the many parts have to be executed by the five players.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased October 24, 2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll music written and performed by Tortoise\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTortoise is Dan Bitney, John Herndon, Douglas McCombs, John McEntire, Jeff Parker\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eViola on “Promenade à deux” - Marta Sofia Honer\u003cbr\u003eCello on “Promenade à deux” - Skip VonKuske\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eField Recordings on “Works and Days” - Tucker Martine\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded at Flora Recording and Playback, Portland OR; 64 Sound, Los Angeles CA; Electrical Audio, Chicago IL\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMixed at Soma Electronic Music Studios, Gladstone OR\u003cbr\u003eRecorded and Mixed by John McEntire\u003cbr\u003eMastered by Dave Cooley at Elysian Masters, Los Angeles CA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eScorpion Photography - Heather Cantrell\u003cbr\u003eScorpion Sculpture - Martin McEntire\u003cbr\u003eCollage Image - øjeRum\u003cbr\u003eLayout and Design - Jeremiah Chiu\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"info license\" id=\"license\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0099 Classic Black vinyl LP","offer_id":51667841384722,"sku":"IARC0099LP","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0099 Limited Edition *Axial Seamount* color vinyl LP","offer_id":52059179221266,"sku":"IARC0099LPI","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0099 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52059101856018,"sku":"IARC0099CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0099 Digital Download","offer_id":52108289442066,"sku":"IARC0099DD","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a2905449829_10.jpg?v=1773282196"},{"product_id":"makaya-mccraven-off-the-record","title":"Makaya McCraven - Off the Record","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"preFade fadeIn\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOFF THE RECORD\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e compiles \u003cstrong\u003eMakaya McCraven's\u003c\/strong\u003e four EPs released October 2025 \u003cstrong\u003e(\u003cem\u003eTechno Logic, The People's Mixtape, Hidden Out!\u003c\/em\u003e, and\u003cem\u003e PopUp Shop\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003c\/strong\u003e into a single physical package.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"preFade fadeIn\"\u003eTogether, the four EPs (and \u003cem\u003eOff the Record\u003c\/em\u003e compilation) mark McCraven’s first recorded offerings since 2022’s \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/intlanthem.us9.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=bdf63ba201aac3a40783dd64e\u0026amp;id=37bcdb2f61\u0026amp;e=902961715e\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eIn These Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, and a return to the signature “organic beat music” approach that Makaya first debuted on his 2015 album \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/intlanthem.us9.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=bdf63ba201aac3a40783dd64e\u0026amp;id=be5dec8dcb\u0026amp;e=902961715e\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eIn The Moment\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e and further developed on \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/intlanthem.us9.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=bdf63ba201aac3a40783dd64e\u0026amp;id=88f5d8d9da\u0026amp;e=902961715e\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eHighly Rare\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e (2017), \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/intlanthem.us9.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=bdf63ba201aac3a40783dd64e\u0026amp;id=68d03ba881\u0026amp;e=902961715e\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhere We Come From\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e (2018), and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/intlanthem.us9.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=bdf63ba201aac3a40783dd64e\u0026amp;id=90df120c73\u0026amp;e=902961715e\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eUniversal Beings\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e (2018).\u003c\/p\u003e\nOut October 17, 2025 \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"info license\" id=\"license\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0103 Classic Black vinyl 2xLP","offer_id":51667948241170,"sku":"IARC0103LP","price":34.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0103 Limited Edition White vinyl 2xLP","offer_id":52043718918418,"sku":"IARC0103LPI","price":39.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0103 Compact Disc 2xCD","offer_id":52043724783890,"sku":"IARC0103CD","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a1027861878_10.jpg?v=1773341895"},{"product_id":"sml-how-you-been","title":"SML - How You Been","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eSML is the quintet of bassist Anna Butterss, synthesist Jeremiah Chiu, saxophonist Josh Johnson, percussionist Booker Stardrum, and guitarist Gregory Uhlmann. Their second album, How You Been, finds the supergroup of prolific composer\/producers pushing ever further into the hyperrealist, collectivist approach to music creation nascently explored on their debut Small Medium Large, which was lauded as “awe-inspiring” by Glide, “exuberant” by the Los Angeles Times, and “an exciting milestone” by Pitchfork.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHow You Been represents a breakthrough in the musical language of the group. This new work was crafted via extensive post-production of recordings from a handful of shows in a similar fashion to their debut, but whereas Small Medium Large was constructed from analog tapes of the band’s very first (and very modest) shows at bygone Highland Park LA venue ETA, How You Been was built with a higher level of self-awareness and a far deeper pool of source material.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBehind the thrust of the first album’s success, the band approached every performance in late 2024 and early 2025 as a generative opportunity to hone their sound and document their expansion across a new landscape of audiences, venues, and cities\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e. Despite the premeditation driving their commitment to record every moment, the band started every show without musical direction, improvising intuitively, completely. Within every performance is an impressive display of the band’s total trust in one another and confidence in their own instincts.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs SML has evolved and spread out in space-time, their fluencies, both as an improvising unit in performance and as a production team in the studio, have sharpened. At inception the band inspired disparate but distinctive artist comparisons like Essential Logic, Oval, Herbie Hancock’s Sextant, and electric Miles Davis, as well as assorted genre touchpoints like Afrobeat, kosmiche, proto-techno and new-jazz. With How You Been their work manages to both collapse and explode such derivatives, displaying a new, high resolution version of SML, fully-flowered into a new strain of sound, bound to incite its own copycats in due time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“SML might signal a new iteration of jazz, or it might not be jazz at all, or it might not matter.” - Pitchfork\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt’s important to note that SML’s sound wasn’t created in a vacuum. The band is part of an extensive community of creative musicians who collaborate in a multitude of ways, and that community has proven to be essential to a growing family tree of innovative, genre-expanding music. Los Angeles in the 2020s is a musical Petri dish in the same way that Cologne \u0026amp; Dusseldorf were for the birth of Krautrock; Canterbury for progressive rock in the late 60s; NYC for No Wave \u0026amp; the Downtown sound in the late 70s and 80s; Chicago for genreless, Tortoise-adjacent sounds in the 90s. The musicians of SML represent the core of a new school within the Los Angeles jazz and improvised music scene that seems to breed infinitely overlapping combinations, including Jeff Parker’s ETA IVtet and Expansion Trio, the Uhlmann Johnson Wilkes trio, Anna Butterss’s own band (as heard on 2024’s Mighty Vertebrate), and various other solo and ensemble projects encompassing every single member of the SML, respectively.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn How You Been the curatorial challenge of the capture-cut production employed by SML is met by the delightful happenstance of each member being a seasoned producer on their own merit. Accordingly, SML’s perspective on what is a moment to expand upon with the post-producer’s knife and glue is five-strong. Each member’s proclivities, penchants, and predelections get their chance to filter the always-evolving elements of the group concept.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Chicago Four” uses a live recording from treasured Chicago haunt The Empty Bottle as its foundation. It begins with interlocking synth and percussion loops before the entry of Uhlmann’s wobble-effected electric guitar melody and Butterss’s picked bass counterpoint. Stardrum’s swinging traps slide in, catching up to a couple of added percussion layers, before Johnson adds distorted chordal hits that sound like hard horn samples from a golden era Bomb Squad or Rakim beat. It all intertwines perfectly and makes an otherworldly vehicle for Johnson and Chiu’s cascading keyed melody, which soars above and between, complimenting either side of a hypnotically shifting, infectiously repeating modulation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Brood Board SHROOM” is a temporary touchdown on an alien planet where rhythm moves in timeless, breath-like undulations, with repetitions cut from a very different cloth than the lock-step polyrhythmic grooves of “Chicago Four.” The track’s opening lines evoke the soft throbs of the beloved ambient works of Aphex Twin (or perhaps a Robitussen-drenched take on Steve Reich’s Different Trains), before frothy curtains of textured sound drape into the mix, overlaying like distant, minimalist symphonies in a gentle, synthetic recreation of free time — slackening and accelerating as each layer of tonal pulses hovers to front-and-center or retreats into the distance. It’s a gut feeling rather than an academic exercise, and it’s all in the service of forward motion. “Plankton” occupies a similar space albeit in bite-sized form, centering Buterss’s low end melodicism and high-string visitations surrounded by skittering tonal chatter from their bandmates.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOf course, SML’s experiments with this kind of pulsating freedom are heavily balanced by muscular turns and body mechanics fit for the dancefloor. “Taking Out the Trash” is a perfect pace-setter for How You Been, a punchy nugget encapsulating the essence of SML. Chiu’s percussion synth establishes the groove before Stardrum and Butterss drop in on a heavy breakbeat. Uhlmann comes in with a searing, plucked staccato funk line on his guitar that would give Glenn Branca and Larry Coryell something to high five about. Things eventually trip into a total breakdown, with only the perc synth still looping. When the band explodes back in, the key has changed, and Johnson is letting loose on a wailing, distorted saxophone solo.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Is there a way to dim the lights a little more?” Chiu asks at the start of the album’s closer “Mouth Words.” Moments later SML takes us out with a mid-tempo 4\/4 groover dressed in swelling glissandos and punctuated by insistent, rapid-fire phrases from Johnson’s alto. As the final tune dissolves into a layer of arpeggiated chirps and sampled crowd sounds, Chiu’s voice is back again to say what we’re all thinking: “Very good. Thank you.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eOut November 7, 2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSML is:\u003cbr\u003eAnna Butterss - Electric Bass\u003cbr\u003eJeremiah Chiu - Modular Synthesizer, Live-sampling, Percussion,Synthesizers\u003cbr\u003eJosh Johnson - Saxophone, Electronics,Synthesizers\u003cbr\u003eBooker Stardrum - Drums, Percussion\u003cbr\u003eGregory Uhlmann - Guitar, Effects, Sampler, Electronics\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEngineered and Recorded Live:\u003cbr\u003eZebulon, Los Angeles (July 8 \u0026amp; 9, 2024) by Bryce Gonzales\u003cbr\u003eThe High Low, Los Angeles (November 11, 2024) by Bryce Gonzales\u003cbr\u003ePublic Records, New York City (December 3, 2024) by Dave Vettraino\u003cbr\u003eEmpty Bottle, Chicago (March 3, 2025) by Dave Vettraino\u003cbr\u003eTractor Tavern, Seattle (March 20, 2025) by Dr. Jon\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eComposed, compiled, edited, and overdubbed by SML (2025)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProduced by SML\u003cbr\u003eMixed by Josh Johnson, SML, Bryce Gonzales, and Dave Vettraino\u003cbr\u003eSequence by SML and Scott McNiece\u003cbr\u003eMastered by David Allen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCover art by Sonnenzimmer\u003cbr\u003ePhoto by David Haskell\u003cbr\u003eDesign by Jeremiah Chiu\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eAll rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0105 Classic Black vinyl LP","offer_id":51701149401362,"sku":"IARC0105LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0105 Limited Edition *Plankton* color vinyl LP","offer_id":52110661583122,"sku":"IARC0105LPI","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0105 CD - Compact disc","offer_id":52110661091602,"sku":"IARC0105CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0105 Digital Download","offer_id":52121009258770,"sku":"IARC0105","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0105 - How You Been - Test Pressing","offer_id":52121009291538,"sku":"IARC0105LP-TP","price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/HowYouBeen-SML.jpg?v=1773341468"},{"product_id":"jeff-parker-eta-ivtet-the-way-out-of-easy","title":"Jeff Parker ETA IVtet - The Way Out of Easy","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eJanuary 2nd, 2023. Aside from being the second of a new year, it was a pretty ordinary night at ETA in Los Angeles, where guitarist Jeff Parker - alongside his ETA IVtet with saxophonist Josh Johnson, bassist Anna Butterss, and drummer Jay Bellerose - had been holding down a regular Monday gig since 2016. At the time, nobody knew it was the first gig of the last year that ETA would be open for business.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOver seven years of holding down that residency, Parker’s ETA ensemble evolved from a band that played mostly standards into a group known for its transcendent, long-form (sometimes stretching out for 45 minutes or more) journeys into innovative, often uncharted territories of groove-oriented, painterly, polyrhythmic, minimalist and mantric improvised music.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith that musical growth, the crowds for Parker and his band at ETA grew across the years too. What started as a sparse gathering of weeknight drinkers, friends, family, and Chicago expats (coming to get a shot of nostalgia for the atmospheres Parker used to create at Rodan across the ‘00s and early ‘10s) grew into a Los Angeles nightlife staple with a packed house and a line down the block for every show.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy January 2023 interest in Parker’s music was\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003estronger than ever, coming off successes with the December 2021 International Anthem\/Nonesuch release of Forfolks – a collection of solo guitar works – and the October 2022 Eremite release of Mondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy, a double LP chronicling the ETA IVtet’s distinct, expansive approach to improvisation across four side-length tracks recorded and mixed live by engineer Bryce Gonzales.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMondays introduced the world to the ETA IVtet’s signature sound with a gathering of unnamed recordings from dates between 2019 and 2021. Parker’s new ETA IVtet offering stays true to that formula in some ways – as he returns to Gonzales’s archive of analog captures to gather four long recordings totalling around 80 minutes – while zooming in on a more particular moment in his journey. The Way Out of Easy provides us a macro-lens view of the ever-refining, infinite organic essence of the ensemble as they stretch out across a single night of soundmaking on January 2nd, 2023.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe engineer Gonzales is well known for the high-end audio gear he builds as Highland Dynamics, and even designed a custom mixer to be able to record the ETA IVtet, specifically, while only taking up a single space at the bar. In his liner notes for The Way Out of Easy, he colors his process and approach: “There are many different ways to make recordings and they all have their place. But for this band, the most important thing to consider is: not doing anything to get in the way of what they are saying to each other.” He refers to the simple schematic he used for capturing these performances – “basically only 4 level controls for one microphone per player” – which allows us an incredibly pure, honest, transparent and transporting experience of the music as it unfolds and is created in real time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe set begins with an extended take on Parker’s composition “Freakadelic” – a tune he originally recorded for his 2012 Delmark release Bright Light in Winter. The B-side piece “Late Autumn” finds Parker swaying in alliterative, arpeggiating cycles, using just a few plucked notes as he lays the compositional foundation. At first it almost sounds like an echo of the humble tunes he wrote alone with his guitar on Forfolks, but in this space his ensemble joins him to help build a beautifully multi-textured, gently-shifting four-dimensional construction out of a simple idea. On “Easy Way Out,” Butterss’s bobbing bass line leads, paddling the ensemble into a placid expanse of tender psychedelia while Bellerose dusts off the drums like an archaeologist unearthing ancient artifacts.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt had become customary for the IVtet to end their shows every week with a standard or a tune – a practice that Parker embraced for wanting to give the audience something warm and familiar to take home after a long night of taking them out on creative limbs. Some of Parker’s more common calls were “This Guy’s In Love With You” by Burt Bacharach, “1974 Blues” by Eddie Harris, or “Peace” by Horace Silver. In this set, the IVtet closes not with a familiar song, but a familiar sound in the form of a dub\/reggae groove (given the name “Chrome Dome” by Parker in post), developing spontaneously out of lyrical ad libs by Johnson on solo saxophone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn early December of 2023, ETA co-owner Ryan Julio was forced to make a sudden announcement that the venue would permanently shutter at the end of the year. On December 23rd, Parker and the band played at ETA for the last time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn July 22nd, 2024, the ETA IVtet gathered to perform together for the first time since then, playing for a sold-out crowd of several hundred listeners – a smiling Ryan Julio among them – at Zebulon in Los Angeles. Gonzales was there, recording with his compact analog setup just behind the band on stage. The space may be gone but its spirit lives and the music moves forward into new vessels.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0089 Classic Black Gatefold 2xLP","offer_id":52109135872274,"sku":"ROW IARC0089LP","price":34.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0089 Limited Edition 'Harvest Maroon' Gatefold 2xLP","offer_id":52110815691026,"sku":"ROW IARC0089LPI","price":39.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0089 CD - Compact disc","offer_id":52110816608530,"sku":"ROW IARC0089CD","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0089 Digital Download","offer_id":52121004474642,"sku":"IARC0089","price":11.11,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0089 Test Pressing","offer_id":52121004507410,"sku":"IARC0089LP-TP","price":75.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a2139666555_10.jpg?v=1773343513"},{"product_id":"gregory-uhlmann-extra-stars","title":"Gregory Uhlmann - Extra Stars","description":"\u003cdiv id=\"customHeaderWrapper\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"band-navbar-wrapper flex\"\u003e\n\u003col id=\"band-navbar\"\u003e\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"trackView leftMiddleColumns has-art\" data-tooltips='{\"tooltips\":[],\"dash_seen\":false}'\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"trackInfo\" class=\"leftColumn\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"trackInfoInner\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eExtra Stars is a deeply beautiful expression of Gregory Uhlmann’s ever-evolving sound world, and comes at a pivotal juncture in the LA-based composer, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist’s musical journey.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFollowing a long run of supporting work with artists like Perfume Genius, Tasha, and Hand Habits, alongside an eponymous recorded output largely focused on his more singer-songwriter oriented music, Uhlmann has spent the better part of the last couple years trotting out album after album of groundbreaking instrumental modern music. From the sparse melodies and hushed ambient soundscapes of Small Day, to his much-lauded duo outing Doubles with Meg Duffy, to his perhaps lesser-known but no-less-brilliant duo record Water Map with Dustin Wong, to the lush chamber-jazz interplay of his trio recording with saxophonist Josh Johnson and bassist Sam Wilkes, to the two genre-breaking albums he released as a co-leader of synth-laced trance-jazz quintet SML (2024’s Small Medium Large and 2025’s How You Been), Uhlmann has subtly, if not quietly, established himself as an essential presence in some of the most progressive recordings of our time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eExtra Stars encompasses all he’s learned through all\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ethe above. A radiant sidereal serenade, the album’s fourteen miniature infinities swirl serendipitous synthesis and measured, melody-rich song into a panoramic menagerie of sound. For a record that seldom incorporates percussion instruments, the music is distinctly rhythm-forward, while Uhlmann also leans heavily into swaths of pastoral beauty. Extra care was clearly poured into the kind of harmonic depth that’s often missing from vibe-only “ambient” music, making for a delightfully refreshing take on the electronic, processing-heavy 'quiet' sound.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe compositions and production techniques here reflect Uhlmann’s musicality perfectly, surely the result of him being as much a seasoned practitioner as he is an avid listener. If there is a middle ground between Cluster \u0026amp; Eno, Terry Riley’s Shri Camel, and Yo La Tengo’s There’s a Riot Going On, it’s somewhere nearby. Lofty comparisons aside, Extra Stars seems to look beyond reference or imitation. Even the album’s title indicates as much—inspired by a trip to California’s Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, where the reality of the night sky’s starry expanse stretches beyond the boundaries of belief.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe can feel Uhlmann’s gaze past the horizon line from the jump. Album opener “Pocket Snail” kicks off with a slow-ambling synth bass line before opening up into a richly processed, reverberating cacophony of beautiful sliding melodies. Eyes wide open, the small world of the pocket snail begins to burst with new color after a fresh injection of sunlight, but the tonality is more akin to something of a simple torch ballad. It’s an immense clash of big and small, and sets the stage nicely for the delightful vantage point shifting to come throughout the record.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Lucia” is named after a quaint lodge nestled amongst the cliffside drama of Big Sur, and the tune’s musical rendering of an intimate yet expansive perspective perfectly fits its namesake. The steady thump and chime of Uhlmann’s guitar repetitions sit atop a field recording of the distant, heavy-winded ocean crash of the Cabrillo Highway coast, held even steadier by harbor bell metallic clank percussion and a firm yet pillowy cluster of electric organ chords and mellotron-like leads. Enter saxophonist Alabaster DePlume, the track's lone feature, with his signature breathy reed work. Here DePlume’s vibrato-heavy tenor sax wandering adds a secret-among-friends intimacy to a sonic scene that could go for miles. DePlume hums low in multitrack as Uhlmann leads the steady pulse on, encountering syncopated harmonic pings, fluttering recorder flourishes, and the little bustling sounds of the rural Pacific shoreline. Earworms must live in the ocean air, because it’s tough to get any element of “Lucia” unstuck once it’s in, and the whole thing is all tied up in a bow in just under three and a half minutes. Equally playful and introspective, “Lucia” is the potential soundtrack to a close reading or a thousand yard stare. If Jim Henson dreamt Link’s Awakening this would be the sound he heard.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Burnt Toast” is an essential example of Uhlmann’s penchant for using the guitar to make non-guitar sounds. That’s not to say that what is occurring here is a simple act of processing. Rather, Uhlmann has a distinct and instantly recognizable ability to play the instrument itself in a way that lends to drastic and realtime tonal transformation. Clocking in at a lean 1:25, it’s a quick and lively skip through a blend of complimentary and warring syncopations—another hallmark of Uhlmann’s style—topped with synthetic glissandos and stereo-image warbles placed just so. What really makes it gel, though, is the harmonic simplicity that the transformative madness is serving. At the end of the day, the basic structure of “Burnt Toast” is an uncomplicated chord progression.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat essential simplicity, leaning into tonal expressions of quiet joy and deep longing, could be the most relevant throughline in Uhlmann’s work. On Extra Stars it’s likely best exemplified on “Days,” a serene 7+ minute track born in the nerve shattering confusion of 2020. “It was made in my old apartment and felt like a way of self soothing by playing the same chords over and over again,” says Uhlmann. The result is a wisping, languid, near free-time drift through a progression that manages to maintain its directness despite its slow-building reverberated accompaniment. Like a Harold Budd take on the somber fingerpicked elegance of Frantz Casseus, “Days” wanders through the speakers with an almost nostalgic air. A grandmotherly wall organ melody sings around dancing piano notes as chattering synthesis renders itself percussive amongst the steel string comfort of Uhlmann’s electric guitar. It’s the kind of recording that could go on forever and maybe, somewhere, it’s doing just that. On Extra Stars, though, it acts as a spiritual centerpiece, rejuvenating the listener as it fades out slowly, cleansing and leaving us ready for more.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Back Scratch” is collage-cut from a series of piano improvisations and post-composed with pitch-shifted percussion contributions from Uhlmann’s SML bandmate Booker Stardrum. Uneven loops syncopate in chance mode while the barrage of high-register notes conflate with Stardrum’s stickwork to cement a rhythm dense enough to nearly become a drone. The impulsive comparison to the intensely rhythmic zither dance of Laraaji would be understandable, but mostly inaccurate. “Back Scratch” is produced in a markedly raw, un-reverberated manner—and it’s precisely that stark wonkiness that separates it from something like Day Of Radiance and makes it more akin to a basement DIY crack at Reich’s Drumming. That said, its brevity and singularity among the wildly diverse Extra Stars tracklist means that it might be (just maybe) more actual fun to listen to than both of those records.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe guitarless moments on Extra Stars shine as brightly as those that highlight Uhlmann’s primary instrument, but even those departures display themselves distinctively, especially when he invites and directs a collaborator. The labcoat synth silliness and percussive b-ball bounce of “Dottie,” for instance, contrasts sharply from the unbridled beeswarm rhythm composite of “Worms Eye” despite the implementation of the same tools and techniques—likely due to the co-production presence of synthesist Jeremiah Chiu (another SML bandmate) on the latter. Regardless, there’s no mistaking an Uhlmann composition and there’s no mistaking when he’s at the helm. For instance, while Chiu’s presence can certainly be felt on “Voice Exchange,” its outlandish rhythm focused take on the pitch-shifted vocals of longtime Uhlmann collaborator Tasha couldn’t be further from the other Chiu co-productions on Extra Stars.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe ability to maintain a recognizable voice across vast stylistic shifts, while employing the talents of those who also possess singularly recognizable voices, is not something that is heard often and it’s Uhlmann’s ability to recognize what makes each collaborator unique that makes it work here. A great example is “Bristlecone,” which finds him directing the powerful low-end command of Anna Butterss’s bass and the multiphonic mystery of Josh Johnson’s processed alto. The composition and arrangement are supported at every turn by Uhlmann’s SML bandmates without the result ever wandering away from something we can hear as distinctly his. Like David Bowie, Joni Mitchell, or Miles Davis, Uhlmann uses collaboration to both support and transform. To reinforce and evolve. With Extra Stars he has delivered such a promising collection of instrumental concepts following an extended period of vast, high-level artistic output. There’s no doubt that it will continue to be a joy to experience that evolution in real time.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased March 6, 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll pieces composed by Gregory Uhlmann\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGregory Uhlmann - guitar, bass, synths, recorder, percussion, piano\u003cbr\u003eAlabaster Deplume - saxophone and voice on \"Lucia\"\u003cbr\u003eAnna Butterss - bass on \"Bristlecone\"\u003cbr\u003eJosh Johnson - saxophone and effects on \"Bristlecone\"\u003cbr\u003eJeremiah Chiu - synth and modular on \"Voice Exchange\"\u003cbr\u003eBooker Stardrum - percussion on \"Back Scratch\"\u003cbr\u003eVoice sample on \"Voice Exchange\" is Tasha Viets-Vanlear\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Gregory Uhlmann\u003cbr\u003eAdditional Production by Jeremiah Chiu on \"Worms Eye,\" \"Voice Exchange,\" and \"View Below\"\u003cbr\u003eMixed by Dave Vettraino\u003cbr\u003eMastered by David Allen\u003cbr\u003eAlbum art and layout by Bucky Boudreau\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSpecial thank you to my partner Sam Kaufman for feedback on every little detail\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0107 Classic Black LP","offer_id":52110841577746,"sku":"IARC0107LP","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0107 Limited Edition *Star Dust* Color LP","offer_id":52110849802514,"sku":"IARC0107LPI","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0107 CD - Compact disc","offer_id":52110851309842,"sku":"IARC0107CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0107 Digital Download","offer_id":52121001787666,"sku":"IARC0107","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a0100696238_10.jpg?v=1773344385"},{"product_id":"whitney-johnson-lia-kohl-macie-stewart-body-sound","title":"Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, Macie Stewart - BODY SOUND","description":"\u003cdiv id=\"customHeaderWrapper\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"band-navbar-wrapper flex\"\u003e\n\u003col id=\"band-navbar\"\u003e\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"trackView leftMiddleColumns has-art\" data-tooltips='{\"tooltips\":[],\"dash_seen\":false}'\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"trackInfo\" class=\"leftColumn\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"trackInfoInner\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eWhitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, and Macie Stewart are a trio who utilize string instruments, voices, and manual tape effect processing to craft compositions from alternately tranquil and disquieting improvised music. The three musicians are individually rooted in deep sound exploration, multi-disciplinary composition, and all manner of cross-genre collaboration. The musical ground covered by their solo practices is correspondingly expansive, and their individual recording and performance credits read as a veritable who’s who, ranging from DIY darlings to household names of experimental avant-garde, electronic, indie rock, and more.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe trio’s collective sound is based in improvisation—automatic, intuitive composition via their three voices and three string instruments (viola, cello, and violin, respectively). Their influences are vast—dispatched with more playful ease than a trio of string instruments is typically approached with, and just as likely to be found in the cloud-obscured mountains of Donegal, the low-rent cacophony of a midwestern basement, or the revelatory expanse of the Nurse With Wound list as in the storied halls of the academy. Touchstones and areas of interest aside, the main thing that Johnson, Kohl, and Stewart engage with in BODY SOUND is listening and\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ereacting.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Improvisation has a special capacity to facilitate a kind of sonic intimacy,” says Kohl. “We're making choices together in the moment. We're creating time together before thought enters the equation. It's an incredibly intimate and intuitive space to share, and feels like the heart center of this music and this practice.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe trio’s approach to improvisation is very much embedded in and informed by their Chicago music community. The city’s ongoing improvised music tradition, which can envelop every genre imaginable, is one where a working musician’s ideas can evolve at a near-constant pace and where anything can be explored in the name of sound. And with sound, there’s always space to consider.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhere will the improvisation take place?\u003cbr\u003eHow will that space shape the sounds being made?\u003cbr\u003eHow will that sound resonate in the dim light of a small neighborhood bar?\u003cbr\u003eHow will it sound in the chromatic refractions of an ornate church?\u003cbr\u003eCan it feel different-yet-equally perfect?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, and Macie Stewart the answer to the last question is yes, definitely.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStewart: Our quest as a crew is to explore space and every iteration of what that can mean, be it physical space, emotional space, sonic space, etc. Space is an instrument.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJohnson: It’s more than the acoustic properties of the recording spaces. Our bodies, emotions, and relationships show up in those spaces with affordances and limitations for the music each time. We are vibrating beings, sensitive and expressive, an amoeba of physical and psychic pressures with specific resonances in time and space.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKohl: The space we’re in always feels like a collaborator in this trio more than in other contexts. I can always feel us all responding to where we are and the resonances that live there.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn BODY SOUND, the trio worked with International Anthem engineer and album co-producer Dave Vettraino to translate the sonic specificities of three recording locations: International Anthem studios on Iron Street (Chicago), Shirk Studios (Chicago), and Boyd’s Jig and Reel (Knoxville, TN, as part of Big Ears Festival). Vettraino also brought a deep knowledge of tape manipulation and a willingness to experiment. “All it took was for one of us to say, ‘What if that was a loop?’, and he was already setting up the reel-to-reel,” says Johnson of the album’s post-production, which leaned heavily into their shared love of saturated tape sounds.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat trust, it seems, was already there. In addition to the communal criss-cross inherent in sharing their Chicago home base, the trio worked with Vettraino on Stewart’s 2025 solo effort When the Distance Is Blue. It was her debut on International Anthem but far from her first appearance in the label’s catalog as a player. Ditto for Kohl and Johnson, whose collaboration and friendship with the label goes back years. Taken as a whole, we could argue that this most recent collaboration, the tape-manipulated fried beauty documented on BODY SOUND, has been a long time coming.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the context of this work, tape sound is much more than a mixing treatment or a production tactic. Here Johnson, Kohl, and Stewart are using variations on the medium to edit and reshape the pieces themselves, employing multiple analog tape machines to reimagine their improvised material into meticulously crafted compositions (“another layer of improvisation,” says Stewart). It’s all a response to the spaces they were originally engaged with, and the use of a highly physical medium like analog tape deepens the spatial engagement of the trio’s work to striking, playful, and organically psychedelic effect.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe resultant BODY SOUND is deep, melancholy, and triumphant, coming across like a kind of lost or amalgamated folk music. It’s certainly part of an ongoing creative continuum, even boasting track titles adapted from Yoko Ono’s classic book of text scores Grapefruit.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe album’s opener “dawn | pulse” puts a morning drone at the threshold of their sound world. This undulating slow roller is a free time drift of bowed tonal clusters respiring in long, melodic swells, and unfurling among wordless singing. Despite the time marker in the title, this piece feels suitable for any part of the day—the morning stretch skyward, the afternoon ambling respite, or the late-nite chillout. Both majorly serene and deceptively avant garde, “dawn | pulse” is a perfect entrée into BODY SOUND.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“laundry | blood” begins with a near-waltz percussive tumble created by a tape loop of Kohl’s barrette-prepared cello. Its soft and eerie triplet propels a deep and snarling viola-cello-violin drone forward à la the doomiest moments of the Berlin School canon or the repetitive outsider glory of Tony Conrad \u0026amp; Faust's Outside the Dream Syndicate. It’s a darkly cinematic take on the ambient ideal for the scarcely visible slow-moving night train chug. You can almost see it roll by.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSome moments feel intentionally disconnected from the performance, instead tied more closely to the concept of LP format listenership: the disintegrated melodic pumps and clomps of “chewing gum”, the body shaking radiator hiss come-apart of “snow | touch”, the otherworldly bass and sub-bass of “stone | piece”.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAcross the album’s 11 tracks, each piece manages to keep a foot in both worlds. “burning | counting (sleeping)” begins abruptly with massive bursts of heavily-bowed sawtooth strings looping in real time, creating a near-synthetic feeling. Deep stutter-step freneticism, tape-manipulated and rendered into overlapping moments of dense psychedelia give way to an oncoming long-note tranquility—an improvised cacophony evoking some long dissipated storm-paced Irish folk drone more so than a New Music exercise or a study of Kronos \/ Reich.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd that seems to be the story with all of the material within BODY SOUND. It’s music with inexplicably broad appeal while maintaining a sort of mysterious outsider quality. Johnson, Kohl, and Stewart have created a stunning album—an exquisitely textured, spatially vivid, wordlessly expressive, sonically multitudinous collection—that manages to decode a slew of high level concepts while clearly and directly speaking to the human impulse. BODY SOUND is right.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased March 20, 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhitney Johnson viola, voice\u003cbr\u003eLia Kohl cello, voice\u003cbr\u003eMacie Stewart violin, voice\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTascam 58, Revox A77, Sony TC 580, TEAC 6600, Portastudio 414mkII\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll music by Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, and Macie Stewart\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, Macie Stewart, and Dave Vettraino\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEngineered by Dave Vettraino at IARC studios on Iron Street (Chicago), Big Ears Festival 2025 (Knoxville), and Shirk Studios (Chicago)\u003cbr\u003eMastered by David Allen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eArtwork courtesy of Jovencio de la Paz and Chris Sharp Gallery\u003cbr\u003eDesign \u0026amp; layout by Matilde Santiago\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0108 Classic Black vinyl LP","offer_id":52110853865746,"sku":"IARC0108LP","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0108 Limited Edition Grapefruit color vinyl LP","offer_id":52110853898514,"sku":"IARC0108LPI","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0108 CD - Compact disc","offer_id":52110853931282,"sku":"IARC0108CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0108 Digital Download","offer_id":52121010209042,"sku":"IARC0108","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a1705246381_10.jpg?v=1773344791"},{"product_id":"ahleuchatistas-arrebato","title":"Ahleuchatistas - Arrebato","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eGuitar + Drum duo make mammoth melodic tectonic movements that raze and reshape conventional sonic terrains.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased October 30, 2015\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRyan Oslance - drums\u003cbr\u003eShane Parish - guitar\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMusic by Parish\/Oslance\u003cbr\u003eRecorded by David Allen\u003cbr\u003eMastered by Shelly Steffens\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eArtwork by Cody Sarabia\u003cbr\u003eLayout by Craig Hansen\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0006 LP - Classic Black vinyl","offer_id":52115662635282,"sku":"arrebatoLP","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0006 CD - Compact disc","offer_id":52115662668050,"sku":"789397779828","price":8.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0006 Digital Download","offer_id":52120998183186,"sku":"IARC0006","price":6.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a2759159203_10.jpg?v=1773620677"},{"product_id":"anna-butterss-mighty-vertebrate","title":"Anna Butterss - Mighty Vertebrate","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e'Mighty Vertebrate' is the International Anthem leader debut from Adelaide, Australia-born bassist and composer Anna Butterss.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eButterss has steadily become a first-call for tour and studio work since moving to Los Angeles (after a stint in Bloomington, Indiana) in 2014. They’ve racked up credits with notables across the indie, jazz, and pop worlds alike – including Makaya McCraven, Phoebe Bridgers, Jason Isbell, Andrew Bird, and Daniel Villarreal – but their most notable contributions to the burgeoning West Coast creative music scene have been as a core member of both Jeff Parker’s ETA IVtet and rising proto-trance supergroup SML, who Pitchfork says “represents the thrilling next phase of a vibrant L.A. community.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTheir first solo album, 'Activities', was similarly hailed by Pitchfork as \"one of the most exciting, undersung jazz releases of 2022,\" but the improvise-edit-reconstruct method used on that record couldn’t be further from the foundation of 'Mighty Vertebrate', which began amid the very real challenge of threading solo work into the dense calendrical web of an in-demand collaborator.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I had just gotten off of a bunch of touring at the end of 2022 and just wanted to write music,” says Butterss. “The best way for me to do that, I’ve found, is to set myself a discrete and focused\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003etask.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- I’m going to make a song where the bass doesn’t function in the role of a bass.\u003cbr\u003e- I’m going to work on this for an hour and then I’m going to stop.\u003cbr\u003e- I’m going to make a song that uses groups of three-bar phrasing.\u003cbr\u003e- I want to sample something and make it into a song.\u003cbr\u003e- I’m going to start with a drum machine.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Every song was like that,” they continue. “Then once I got started I just followed where my mind wanted to go. It was very structured.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe music itself reflects that structure beautifully, with the material being tightly composed and melodically realized by Butterss well in advance of production concerns. They eventually migrated the operation to Chris Schlarb’s Long Beach hideaway BIG EGO to track a selection of full band material. With Schlarb at the controls they reconvene a group of trusted longtime collaborators to bring their compositions to fruition: Josh Johnson (sax), Gregory Uhlmann (guitar), and Ben Lumsdaine (drums, guitar, production).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I am definitely hearing this group when I’m writing the music or thinking of how it’s going to be played live,” Butterss notes. “I’m hearing these specific people. They’re going to understand what this is supposed to feel like. We’re not going to have to talk about it much. It’s just going to feel very natural, which it was.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe results speak to the natural quality of those interactions, and their breadth and scope might have been difficult to achieve otherwise. From the Robbie-Shakespeare-in-groove-mode intro to the album opener “Bishop” to the spacious cinematic doom of “Seeing You”, there is a lot to wrangle into one cohesive concept. It’s the bedrock of the lineup which keeps the circle unbroken. Butterss’ deep rooted musical relationship with the album’s co-producer, multi-instrumentalist and IARC labelmate Ben Lumsdaine, is also an undeniable factor in the cohesion. The duo have played together since meeting as teens in music school, and worked closely with one another on every aspect of the ten tracks that make up 'Mighty Vertebrate'. That comfort level extends the confident and natural feeling of the sessions to post production, granting the internal arc of each piece the same tidy-yet-adventurous quality found in the compositions themselves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor instance, “Dance Steve” opens with overlapping samples expanding, contracting, and quickly focusing into a rhythm blended with a lo-fi bedroom beat just before the sonic scope is widened with a tuff-and-crunchy guitar riff over a straight boom bap 808 rhythm. Synth repetitions chirp dizzily while chorused guitars soften the scene and the subtly dense percussive layers build and unbuild. The song’s halfway mark finds the listener cooling down as the melodies retreat and the rhythm settles into ambient-trance mode. It’s only a chance to catch a breath, it turns out, as the last third of the track is the big reveal. Enter Jeff Parker (the album’s lone featured guest) on electric guitar along with Lumsdaine in a deep-pocket tambourine-accompanied groove. All synths, samples, and guitars have brightened and been rendered percussive – a web of tiny pulsing rhythms – and Parker uses the moment to lay down a classic JP solo. Butterss steers the ship with a dubby bass groove threaded between the beats. It’s as if the shades have been thrown open to greet the sun, but most importantly it’s a complete story. A narrative arc in under five minutes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker’s impact is hard to miss when discussing any forward-thinking, groove-oriented jazz and experimental music. Perhaps even more accurate in the case of 'Mighty Vertebrate' is the influence of Tortoise, the long running post-genre group of which Parker is a member. Butterss’ “Pokemans” echoes the band’s excellent 2001 album 'Standards' as much as it does Four Tet or any of Junichi Masuda’s 8-bit school bus classics; but this is more than just inspiration, influence, or some detached version of a musical continuum. Butterss has played with Jeff Parker for years; Tortoise’s John Herndon did the cover art for 'Mighty Vertebrate'; these artists exist within the same close-knit community. Here Butterss finds themself firmly in the protégé-to-peer pipeline.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUltimately, each track on 'Mighty Vertebrate' could be excavated and studied or simply taken at face value. It’s a solid, mature, and endlessly fun glimpse into the world of an artist whose potential for growth is seemingly unlimited.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003eReleased October 4, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0086 LP - Limited Edition \"Skull\" Color vinyl","offer_id":52611374907666,"sku":"IARC0086LPX","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0086 LP - Classic Black vinyl","offer_id":52120909414674,"sku":"IARC0086LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0086 LP - Limited Edition ''Fossilized Chartreuse'' Color vinyl","offer_id":52120909447442,"sku":"IARC0086LPI","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0086 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52120909480210,"sku":"IARC0086CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0086 Digital Download","offer_id":52120998904082,"sku":"IARC0086","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a3475189898_10.jpg?v=1773624111"},{"product_id":"anteloper-pink-dolphins","title":"Anteloper - Pink Dolphins","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e“We’re improvisers first and we’re bringing “moment music” into these other zones of hip hop and electronic music, drum-machine music, sound-system culture… Acoustic musicians sun-kissed by electro-magnetism, flowing out into everything. This is the shit that we want to be playing on big ass systems. Omnivorous, energy space time, mosh pit dance-music. Get it in the subwoofers so you can feel it hit, cuz the music has to begin in the body!” – jaimie branch\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ejaimie branch and Jason Nazary are Anteloper. When prompted about their name, branch comes back rhyming: “An Anteloper, is an antelope, interloper,” adding in a jovial manner, “an antelope walks up to a party, but you know, people don’t want him around.” Turns out, she had the name before the band was formed, and once the duo started rehearsing, it was apparent that THIS was what an Anteloper sounds like.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnother creature pops up in the title of the duo’s new album: Pink Dolphins. branch explains that the name is in part a nod to her Colombian heritage (from her Mother). “There’s these amazing pink river dolphins that live in the Amazon - they can swim in salt water, they can chill in fresh water, or they can rock in mixed up brackish waters. They are uniquely ‘aquadelic’ in that way\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e. Aquadelic and super endangered.” In many ways branch and Nazary are like those dolphins – adaptable to varied terrain and moving in many directions through sound.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Pink Dolphins album artwork is by branch too, a primarily ink-and-gouache based artist who notes that this was the first time she treated her paintings with hefty digital processing. She’s collaborated, again, with John Herndon (of Tortoise fame), who she worked with on album covers for her first two FLY or DIE releases, and who has also done several tattoos for her. This isn’t the only Tortoise connection, though. Pink Dolphins is a new benchmark for the duo, not least because of the involvement of Jeff Parker whom they recruited to be producer for the record in 2019. Parker notes: “I was immediately excited... Anteloper has a very unique sound and chemistry, and I love the spirit behind everything that they’re doing.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut before we get into the new album in full, a quick recap: Nazary and branch first met musically in Boston in their late teens. Their previous two albums – 2018’s Kudu (reissued on vinyl for the first time in January 2022) and 2020’s in-progress report Tour Beats Vol. 1 – both acted as ‘proof-of-concept’ experiments, merging synths, raw experimental desktop electronics, gadgets, and efx with the energy and attitude of punk and an insatiable thirst for extended outer space jams. branch works with her band Fly or Die and has also appeared with Exploding Star Orchestra, TV On The Radio, Matana Roberts, William Parker, and many others. Nazary released a solo album, Spring Collection, on Helsinki’s We Jazz Records last year, and has appeared with Helado Negro, Bear In Heaven, Little Women, Desertion Trio, and many others.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere’s something undeniably now and new about Anteloper’s current work. It channels a wide array of expressions from the kosmische musik \/ post punk sounding opener “Inia” through the seismic, spectrum-saturating album closer “One Living Genus.” Anteloper blazes rarely-trodden trails through a cross-pollinated wilderness of electronics and jazz. And though one might assume that jazz and electronics are common genre interactions these days, Anteloper’s experiments mine deep into underexplored spaces between lexicons.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere’s also a punk aspect to Anteloper – branch makes this clear when she says “I’m coming from punk. We’re both coming from punk!” – and you can really feel that energy in their DIY, do or die approach. Additionally, they embrace a bit of pre-punk, contrarian innovation energy like Miles Davis on Live Evil – a benchmark album for both musicians. Speaking of Miles – his trumpet solo on “Green Dolphin Street” (dolphins again!) was the first solo that branch ever transcribed, and Nazary says that when they first started playing together, he wanted to cover “Little Church” from Live Evil (atleast in part because of Airto’s playing). branch also notes that Parker cites Live Evil as one of his favorites. In fact, Parker played a sort of Teo Macero role for Anteloper on Pink Dolphins. Parker explains: “The source material that was initially sent to me was many, many hours of improvised sessions that needed to be sifted through. It was overwhelming! So eventually Anteloper went back in the lab and edited the source material down into smaller chunks, and we went from there. It took me a long time to find a groove with it… I spent many months experimenting with different techniques and ideas. I would send them tracks, they would add to it and send it back. It was definitely a challenging way to make a record. I learned a lot. It was worth it!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNazary notes that their growth as a duo has really come about as they have refined their relationship with electronics: “The other step for us is how we are interfacing – how I am using the drums to control electronics. I’m always looking for a different way.” branch references early influences Sun Ra, Mouse on Mars, and J Dilla, and later influences from Moor Mother, Harriet Tubman, and Sam Newsome. She cites the importance of electronics to her as exploratory instruments, both in sound and technique. Nazary notes that his drums\/electronics rig is “really a cyborg setup, the machines influence me as much as I do them.” Then he surprisingly picks one big electronic band as his key inspiration “I love Autechre! That record Confield and Draft 7.30 - that’s it - that’s how I want to sound on the drums!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSpeaking of a different way, right in the middle of the album is “Earthlings,” a heady banger of sci-fi slow blues featuring branch on vocals (a first for her, in the context of Anteloper). As for how it came together, Parker and branch tell different sides of the same story. Parker starts: “I made a 4-bar loop from one of their improvisations, and it was banging.” He sent it to branch, who recalls: “I was lightly tripping on LSD and checking out Jeff’s loop when the melody came to me.” The lyrics came partly as a reaction to a fallout (‘Make you\/Make sense\/It Makes Sense’), as branch explored “knowing what time it is with somebody and trying to force it to make sense, but you know it’s not going to necessarily make sense.” Parker says when she sent the lyrics back, he had already extracted a loop from one of their improvisations and “played a little Kenny Burrell-esgue guitar on it. I smashed the two things together, and away we went. It was done right after George Floyd and everyone was in the streets, right at the height of covid, etc. I think there’s a subtle message in jaimie’s lyrics.” “Earthlings” also carries some of the raw post-Tropicalian heft of the late Brazilian samba queen Elza Soares’s later work – namely from the final album she created while of this earth, A Muher do Fim do Mundo (The Woman At The End of The World). Though branch notes it wasn’t directly an inspiration for “Earthlings,” the sonic and spiritual connections are no surprise, considering branch collaborated with Soares in a wild and illuminating experimental meeting for Rewire Festival in 2021.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntentional or not, the ghosts of Tropicalia are also conjured on Pink Dolphins album closer “One Living Genus.” It’s an expansive (nearly 15 minutes!) movement of futurist psychedelia – loud, direct, impatient, impolite, pushing for progress – that recalls the colorful, uncompromisingly creative and revolutionary spirit emanating from Brazil in the late 1960s, but vibrates more like the modern cultural diffusion of the New York city that the band calls home. Nazary feels the track sees them “fully exploring those underwater cavernous sounds, the drums dropping deep bass pillars, while jaimie's synths swim circles in and around. Jeff's production brilliantly captures both the stillness and constant motion in our sound, ever evolving but always rooted in the genus.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat makes this album special is the way that this duo bravely abandons the known as they leap forward into a path less-travelled. There’s no pre-made template here, only sound. Only a starting point, the destruction of that point, and the telepathic creation of a new way out. The electronics incorporated by both players are navigational devices, transportation sound-crafts. The resulting output is freewheeling, other-worldly, improvisational music, inspired by the unknown and at home in the astro-world. But the driving force behind Anteloper’s psychedelic space music is not escapism, rather a complete immersion in the hyperreality of the present. Their music is made for destroying concepts of past and future, for confronting and embracing the moment, for the betterment of the here and now. It's music that is as rare and bewilderingly beautiful as the aquadelic pink dolphins surfing through the Amazon River.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003eReleased June 17, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0056 Limousine Black vinyl LP","offer_id":52120909611282,"sku":"IARC0056-LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0056 Aquadelic Pink color vinyl LP","offer_id":52120909644050,"sku":"IARC0056-LPS","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0056 - CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52120909676818,"sku":"IARC0056-CD","price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0056 Digital Download","offer_id":52120998969618,"sku":"IARC0056","price":7.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0056 Test Pressing","offer_id":52120909709586,"sku":"IARC0056LP","price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a3941937252_10.jpg?v=1773623762"},{"product_id":"carlos-nino-friends-more-energy-fields-current","title":"Carlos Niño \u0026 Friends - More Energy Fields, Current","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDescription:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eMore Energy Fields, Current\u003c\/em\u003e is a definitive new peak in the recorded continuum of prolific producer\/percussionist Carlos Niño. Featuring heavy contributions from many of the most exciting instrumentalists in the creative music constellation of Los Angeles (of which Niño’s has been a central force for over 2 decades), the album collects 10 pristine gems of collaborative communication helmed by the Southern Californian sage, elegantly presented in his unique “Spiritual, Improvisational, Space Collage” style.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStarting with the subtle invitation of “Pleasewakeupalittlefaster, please…” (accompanied by the liner note from Niño: “We’re all in this together. I look forward to living in a much higher, much more conscious, harmonious state, here, with You, on this Magical Planet Earth.”), a gorgeously-keyed canonic infinity by pianist Jamael Dean articulates an Earth-loving, universalist ethos that imbues the entire 44 minute program. While the sonics shift and evolve, gracefully placed in patient order across subsequent track highlights “Nightswimming” (featuring Dean and Dntel on modular synth), “Thanking the Earth” (featuring multi-instrumentalists Sam Gendel and Nate Mercereau, whom Niño has been working and bonding extensively with in recent years), “Salon Winds”\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(featuring Jamire Williams on drums and Aaron Shaw on flute), and “Togetherness” (featuring Dean and Devin Daniels on sax), the naturalist sentiments established in the exposition remain potently present.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe album is ripe with “ambient” passages that function like open portals between moments of consonance and clarity. But even in the occasional absence of drums, there is a powerful pulse implicit in the program’s frequency of consciousness. It’s a testament to Niño’s foundations as a DJ. His distinct ability to craft kinetic, cinematic sonic experience from dozens of independent, often rhythmically-ambiguous improvisational archive memories is more fluently displayed on 'More Energy Fields, Current' than anything we’ve heard from him to date. It resonates, lucidly, with the way Niño’s mentor Iasos – who is known to the world as an original founder of New Age music – has described his work: \"Real Time Interactive Imagination, Flow Texturization.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn 'More Energy Fields, Current', Niño immerses us in the watery depths of his world, spiriting us like a submarine through exotic nether-leagues of untouched sound. And when we arrive at the final, book-ending piece “Please, Wake Up.” (an extended version of the opening theme with transcendental counterpoint by saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings), it’s like a return, safely to shore.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased May 7, 2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1. Pleasewakeupalittlefaster, please...\u003cbr\u003eJamael Dean - Piano and Organ\u003cbr\u003eNate Mercereau - Guitar\u003cbr\u003eCarlos Niño - Percussion, Mixing, Editing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe’re all in this together. I look forward to living in a much higher, much more conscious, harmonious state, here, with You, on this Magical Planet Earth.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e2. The World Stage, 4321 Degnan Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90008\u003cbr\u003eSam Gendel - Alto Saxophone and Pedals\u003cbr\u003eJamael Dean - Piano\u003cbr\u003eRandy Gloss - Hybrid Drum Set\u003cbr\u003eCarlos Niño - Percussion\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded and Mixed by Tomoaki Soto from Sunday, November 24, 2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e3. Nightswimming\u003cbr\u003eDntel - Modular Synthesizer\u003cbr\u003eJamael Dean - Piano\u003cbr\u003eJira \u0026gt;\u0026lt; - Beats\u003cbr\u003eCarlos Niño - Percussion, Sound Design, Mixing, Editing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e4. Now the background is the foreground.\u003cbr\u003eAdam Rudolph - Drum Machine, Multi-Instruments and Production\u003cbr\u003eAaron Shaw - Tenor Saxophone\u003cbr\u003eJamael Dean - Yamaha DX7\u003cbr\u003eCarlos Niño - Percussion, Mixing, Editing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThanks to Silvia Bianchi and La Terraza Magnetica \/ Madrid\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e5. Thanking The Earth\u003cbr\u003eSam Gendel - Vibraphone\u003cbr\u003eNate Mercereau - Guitar Synth, Multi-Instruments and Production\u003cbr\u003eCarlos Niño - Percussion, Field Recordings, Mixing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThanks to Ishmael Butler\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e6. Salon Winds\u003cbr\u003eJamire Williams - Drums, Painting\u003cbr\u003eNate Mercereau - Guitar Synth World\u003cbr\u003eJamael Dean - Prophet Keyboard\u003cbr\u003eAaron Shaw - Flute and Tenor Saxophone\u003cbr\u003eCarlos Niño - Percussion, Mixing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded by Jason Lader on Wednesday, August 26, 2020\u003cbr\u003eThanks to Travis Lett, Mike D and Tamara Davis\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e7. Ripples, Reflection, Loop\u003cbr\u003eLaraaji - Zither and Voice\u003cbr\u003eJamael Dean - Electric Piano\u003cbr\u003eSharada - Voice\u003cbr\u003eCarlos Niño - Percussion, Sound Design, Mixing, Editing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThanks to Alex Kelman of Third Side Music\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e8. Togetherness\u003cbr\u003eDevin Daniels - Alto Saxophone\u003cbr\u003eJamael Dean - Electric Piano\u003cbr\u003eCarlos Niño - Synthesizer, Percussion, Mixing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e9. lasos 79 ‘til Infinity\u003cbr\u003eCarlos Niño - Synthesizer, Chimes and Collage\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInvite them in, say, “Yes, Come.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e10. Please, wake up.\u003cbr\u003eShabaka Hutchings* - Tenor Saxophone\u003cbr\u003eJamael Dean - Piano and Synth\u003cbr\u003eCarlos Niño - Percussion, Mixing, Editing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBased on a Duet by Shabaka and Carlos recorded by Andy Kravitz\u003cbr\u003eat Studio 4 West on Monday, March 11, 2019\u003cbr\u003eThanks to Scottie McNiece\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e*Shabaka Hutchings appears courtesy of Impulse!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Carlos Niño.\u003cbr\u003eMastered by David Allen.\u003cbr\u003ePhotos by Todd Weaver.\u003cbr\u003eIndigo by Niki Tsukamoto.\u003cbr\u003eArt Direction by Nep Sidhu.\u003cbr\u003eDesign and Layout by Craig Hansen.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0040 LP - Classic Black Vinyl","offer_id":52611308650770,"sku":"IARC0040LP","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0040 LP - 'Core Feelings' Color Vinyl","offer_id":52611308683538,"sku":"IARC0040LPWS","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0040 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52611333783826,"sku":"IARC0040CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0040 - Cassette","offer_id":52120910889234,"sku":"IA-IARC0040CASS","price":11.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0040 Digital Download","offer_id":52120999690514,"sku":"IARC0040","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a0914025926_10.jpg?v=1773697585"},{"product_id":"charles-stepney-step-on-step","title":"Charles Stepney - Step on Step","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eInternational Anthem is proud to present 'Step on Step', a double LP collection of home recordings marking the de-facto eponymous debut album by enigmatic producer, arranger, and composer Charles Stepney (1931-1976). The music that makes up Step on Step was created by Stepney alone, in the basement of his home on the Southside of Chicago, sometime in the late 1960s and early 1970s, before his untimely death in 1976.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA Chicago born and bred arranger, producer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Stepney is known for his work with Earth, Wind \u0026amp; Fire, Deniece Williams, and Ramsey Lewis, and as a staff producer for Chess Records in the 1960s, where he was an essential creative force behind seminal recordings by Rotary Connection, Minnie Riperton, Marlena Shaw, Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Terry Callier, The Dells, The Emotions, and many more. In the decades since his passing, the presence of his name in liner notes and on vinyl labels has become a seal of quality for record collectors, music historians, and aficionados, while his sound has been used by countless samplers in the hip-hop world including Kanye West, A Tribe Called Quest, The Fugees, MF Doom, and Madlib. But in comparison to the post-mortem renown of his sound, or the music he created and the artists he\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003esupported while he was alive, Stepney is a greatly underappreciated figure… a genius relegated to the shadows.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne of the signature elements of his “baroque soul” sound is the epic, expansive, orchestral expression of his horn and string arrangements (in many cases brought to life by members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra), as heard on Minnie Riperton’s “Les Fleurs,” or Marlena Shaw’s “California Soul,” or Terry Callier’s “What Color Is Love.” Hence making it even more special that his de-facto debut LP Step on Step, which sees its first wide release nearly five decades after his death, is a collection of stripped-down 4-track tape recordings featuring Stepney, alone, performing all instruments with minimal means. It is, as said by Chicago culture historian (and author of Step on Step liner notes) Ayana Contreras, “the uncut funk,” an unprecedented depiction of an imbued composer imagining and conceiving music (some of which would eventually become massive studio productions) in its primal state.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStep on Step features 23 tracks, most of which are original compositions by Stepney that were never again recorded by him or any other artist. It also features prototypical, seedling-style demos of Stepney compositions for Earth, Wind \u0026amp; Fire, including “That’s The Way of The World,” “Imagination,” and “On Your Face,” as well as the original version of “Black Gold,” which would eventually be recorded by Rotary Connection (as “I Am The Black Gold of The Sun,” with lyrics by Richard Rudolph). And in addition to the wordless croons of Stepney original and early single “Daddy’s Diddies,” Stepney’s actual voice is heard on a couple occasions across the album, testing microphones and inputs on his tape machine.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll of the otherwise unrecorded, previously unnamed original compositions contained on Step on Step were given their titles by Stepney’s daughters Eibur, Charlene, and Chanté Stepney, whose voices are also heard throughout the album, telling stories and sharing memories about their father. The Stepney Sisters, who produced this album over many years, have long been engaged in efforts to celebrate their father’s legacy and bring his work into brighter light. They’ve cherished the tape reels left behind by their father in the basement of their home, transferring the audio on multiple occasions, and originally compiling the recordings for an ultra-limited CD on their own DIY label (The Charles Stepney Masters) in the early 2010s. “We always talk about how we were trying to develop this and would go to different people and they would go ‘what is this raw stuff…’ It was just the first level of something that became something really great,” says Chanté. “To get this type of intimate look into an artist’s process is really unknown and unheard of… so I just really appreciate the opportunity to give this. I am very happy for my Dad that we’re able to share this with the world in this way, with this amount of respect.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis new double LP collection on International Anthem presents “a genuine, beautiful, deeply emotional and personal effort by three women to reconnect with their father and validate their own memories of his passion and brilliance,” says label co-founder Scott McNiece. And it’s a long-overdue fulfillment of Stepney’s unsatiated plan to release a solo album – which he once vowed to his daughters that he would do, and that he would name it: “Step on Step.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased September 9, 2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll instruments performed \u0026amp; recorded by Charles Stepney.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProduced \u0026amp; Narrated by Eibur, Charlene, and Chanté Stepney.\u003cbr\u003eEdited \u0026amp; Sequenced by Scott McNiece.\u003cbr\u003eAdditional Recording, Treatment \u0026amp; Mixing by Dave Vettraino.\u003cbr\u003eMastered by David Allen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePhotos by Rubie Stepney.\u003cbr\u003eLiner Notes by Ayana Contreras.\u003cbr\u003eDesign \u0026amp; Layout by Craig Hansen.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"info license\" id=\"license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0055 Classic black vinyl gatefold double LP","offer_id":52120911249682,"sku":"IARC0055LP","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0055 Limited Edition *Certified Gold* color vinyl gatefold double LP","offer_id":52120911282450,"sku":"IARC0055LPI","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0055 - Compact Disc","offer_id":52120911315218,"sku":"IARC0055CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0055 Limited Edition Cassette","offer_id":52120911347986,"sku":"IARC0055-CASS","price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0055 Digital Download","offer_id":52121000313106,"sku":"IARC0055","price":11.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0055 Test Pressing","offer_id":52120911380754,"sku":"IARC0055LP-1","price":60.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a2300896001_10.jpg?v=1773696799"},{"product_id":"aquiles-navarro-tcheser-holmes-heritage-of-the-invisible-ii","title":"Aquiles Navarro \u0026 Tcheser Holmes - Heritage of the Invisible II","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eTelepathic Afro-Caribbean improvisational trumpet-and-percussion duo Aquiles Navarro \u0026amp; Tcheser Holmes are longtime friends, collaborators, and tireless hustlers on the creative music scenes of New York City.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Heritage of the Invisible II\" follows Navarro and Holmes’s rise to prominence as members of free jazz collective Irreversible Entanglements. In March of 2020 in \"The Nation\" writer Marcus J. Moore said \"Irreversible Entanglements’ fearless music takes to task the police, American politics, capitalism, and racism.\" The revolutionary ethos that drives Irreversible Entanglements is no less present in Navarro and Holmes’s duo work, though their duo finds them much more wholeheartedly and jubilantly embracing their Latin and Afro-Caribbean foundations.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAquiles Navarro was born in Toronto during a time of great, political upheaval in his family’s native home of Panama. Dangers surrounding the reign of Manuel Noriega and the subsequent U.S. invasion of 1989 prompted the Navarro family’s exit, returning years later to Panama City in 1997. Latin folkloric music was fastened deeply to the family paradigm. After studying with Panamanian trumpeter Victor “Vitin” Paz (Fania All-Stars) and\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ePanamanian-American composer\/saxophonist Carlos Garnett (Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders), Navarro moved to Boston to study at the New England Conservatory (NEC). Before the semester had even begun, a friendship had kindled between him and another incoming new student, Tcheser Holmes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSince a young age, Tcheser Holmes naturally wove into the fabric of a tight-knit Pan-African community in Brooklyn centered around the spiritual organization, Ausar Auset Society, and his family’s dance company, The Bennu Ausar Dancers. From early on, Holmes remembers “playing and viewing music purely as a source of celebration and achievement.” As a teenager he enrolled in the Manhattan School of Music’s Precollege for pre-conservatory training, and eventually made his way toward NEC.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter their tenure at NEC, both musicians relocated to New York City. “In New York, I've been a working musician since day 1,” recalls Navarro. \"Tcheser and I played all over the city, from Uptown to all over Brooklyn, often booking our own gigs.\" Dance clubs and subway platforms, The Bowery Poetry Club, the Latin Jazz Big Band at the Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe, and Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound in the Bronx – the two musicians developed a wide creative range. “We got familiar with a system where the rhythm is quantified,” says Holmes. “But I feel like we always remained ‘children’ in terms of viewing music. Kobe said ‘Be a Kid.’ We never needed to validate the process.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Summer 2014 they traveled to Panama together to perform and record a set of duo improvisations, which they digitally self-released later that year. Back in Brooklyn in 2015, Navarro and Holmes performed as a duo at a Musicians Against Police Brutality event, where they shared the stage with the trio of Camae Ayewa (aka Moor Mother), Keir Neuringer and Luke Stewart. The two groups made fast friends, and shortly after, came together to form the collective quintet Irreversible Entanglements. With Irreversible Entanglements they recorded two critically-lauded albums (\"Irreversible Entanglements\", released 2017, and \"Who Sent You?\", released 2020) across several years of growth and international touring (including performances at Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, Le Guess Who? in Utrecht, NL, the Barbican in London, and the Smithsonian in Washington, DC).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the Fall of 2019 Navarro and Holmes coalesced around the idea of composing new, expanded duo music, and booked two after-hours sessions at Brooklyn’s S1 Studios. “Each tune has a compositional background to it, but improvisation and the telepathy between us remains the main catalyst,” notes Navarro. From this open map, the duo layered samples and electronic elements from Juno 106 and Moog Grandmother synths over their acoustic improvisations, overdubbed contributions from poets, vocalist and instrumentalist friends, and added field recordings of themselves in conversation. To sculpt the mass of sounds they commissioned ada adhiyatma (aka Madam Data, a Philadelphia-based composer\/electronicist who they’d met through a joint collaboration with Moor Mother) for a final mix. The resulting album – \"Heritage of the Invisible II\" – reveals Navarro and Holmes stepping firmly into the limelight of progressive music-making.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe tracks flash by in a rapturous onslaught, crystalizing in incantations by Spanish poet Marcos de la Fuente (an apocalyptic fever dream on “Initial Meditation”), vocalist Brigitte Zozula (the bliss of bustling nightlife on “A Night in NY”), Navarro’s mentor and collaborator Carlos Garnett (the banality of economics on “$$$ \/\/\/ billete”) and their own musings on friendship and community (the stoned soul picnic of “Plantains”). Of the album’s de facto anthem “Pueblo,” Navarro says “it’s a celebration of life, the coming together of the people, el pueblo, a celebration of who we are, where we come from, it’s our pueblo, our people, a feeling of openness, hope, and a future of unity from el pueblo, the people.” Identifying as active listeners and audience members as well, Navarro and Holmes step back on “M.O.N.K (Most Only Never Knew)” to shine a light on the solo improvisation of pianist\/composer Nick Sanders. On the 8-minute duet “NAVARROHOLMES,” the two players reach a summit as they face off in spirited alliance, conjuring visions of legendary free jazz telepathics – Braxton and Roach, Coltrane and Ali, Cherry and Blackwell.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNavarro and Holmes never idle on \"Heritage of the Invisible II,\" choosing instead to ponder their origins in a devout charge of ecstatic cooperation. Meditating on the unseen constructive forces of culture and rhythm as a cadence encoded in one’s heritage, with \"Heritage of the Invisible II\" they share a volume of their story in rich color – a brilliantly imagined testament to generations of memory, creation and existential joy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- bio by Joe Darling\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReleased October 23, 2020\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0035 LP - Classic Black Vinyl","offer_id":52121293979922,"sku":"IARC0035LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0035 LP - \"Fried Plantain\" Color Vinyl","offer_id":52121294176530,"sku":"IA-IARC0035LP-COL","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0035 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52121294078226,"sku":"IARC0035CD","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0035 Digital Download","offer_id":52120999035154,"sku":"IARC0035","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a0743046101_10.jpg?v=1773622944"},{"product_id":"damon-locks-black-monument-ensemble-now","title":"Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble - NOW","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e“Time is just the difference between knowing now and knowing nothing. Because if you know now fully, it’s past, present, and future.”\u003cbr\u003e— Mattie Humphries, 1968\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDamon Locks \u0026amp; Black Monument Ensemble’s new album \"NOW\" was created in the final throes of Summer 2020, following months of pandemic-induced fear \u0026amp; isolation, the explosion of social unrest, struggle \u0026amp; violence in the streets, and as the certain presence of a new reality had fully settled in. Set up safely in the garden behind Chicago’s Experimental Sound Studio, the music was recorded in only a few takes, capturing the first times members of BME had ever played or sang the tunes. For Locks, the impetus was more about getting together to commune and make art than it was about producing an album. In his words: “It was about offering a new thought. It was about resisting the darkness. It was about expressing possibility. It was about asking the question, ‘Since the future has unfolded and taken a new and dangerous shape... what happens NOW?’”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e...about Black Monument Ensemble...\u003cbr\u003eOriginally conceived as a medium for Chicago-based multi-media artist\/activist Damon Locks’s sample-based sound\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ecollage work, Black Monument Ensemble (BME) has evolved from a solo mission into a vibrant collective of artists, musicians, singers, and dancers making work with common goals of joy, compassion, and intention. Galvanized by Locks’s conceptualizing, poeticizing, and guiding vision, the contributors come from all facets of the diverse wellspring of Black artistic excellence in Chicago, bringing their unique perspectives and experiences to uplifting, anthemic, and highly animated musical performance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBME is a genuinely multi-generational collective; ages of the members range from 9 to 52 years old. In addition to Locks, current and consistent BME members include: instrumentalists Angel Bat Dawid, Ben LaMar Gay, Dana Hall, and Arif Smith; singers Phillip Armstrong, Monique Golding, Rayna Golding, Tramaine Parker, Richie Parks, Erica Rene, and Eric Tre’von; and dancers Raven Lewis, Cheyenne Spencer, Mary Thomas, Bryonna Young, Tiarra Young, and Keisha Janae.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLocks has a stated interest in work that explores “The Black Nod” which, as he explains, is “an unspoken acknowledgment that happens often out in the world – a sort of ‘I see you’ moment exchanged between Black people.” His work with BME attempts to do the same. Fronted by a jubilant choir, the ensemble embraces a kind of civically engaged, artistic approach to activism originally heard in the 1960s from bands like the Voices of East Harlem and on albums like Max Roach’s We Insist; or originally seen in the photography of Kwame Brathwaite and the art of Emory Douglas. Merging influence from the subsequent half-century of artistic \u0026amp; technological evolution, Locks employs a cyber-punk palette of disparate implements (including beatbox, boombox, telephone, and megaphone) to make narrative compositions of mined sound, beats \u0026amp; archival speech (a la Madlib or Supa K) which are brought to life by the ensemble in electric, improvisational performance. It’s a truly multi-dimensional sound that spans mediums, genres, and generations; past, present, \u0026amp; future.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e...about Damon Locks...\u003cbr\u003eDamon Locks is a Chicago-based visual artist, educator, vocalist, musician, and deejay. Known for decades of varied projects in Chicago’s underground music \u0026amp; art scenes, Locks’ CV starts in the late 1980s with the band Trenchmouth, and is highlighted by work with The Eternals (co-led by Trenchmouth bandmate Wayne Montana), Rob Mazurek’s Exploding Star Orchestra, collaborations with Nicole Mitchell, Ben LaMar Gay, and many others. In recent years Locks has traversed almost every media discipline… including sound\/animation work using unheard Sun Ra recordings from Experimental Sound Studio’s archive (with Terri Kapsalis, Wayne Montana, and Rob Shaw); various collaborations with contemporary dancers \u0026amp; choreographers including Onye Ozuzu, Ayesha Jaco (of Move Me Soul), and Anna Martine Whitehead (on presentations \u0026amp; workshops with the Detroit Justice Center); participating in artist residencies at The New Quorum in New Orleans (alongside Nicole Mitchell, Lisa E Harris, Wadada Leo Smith, and others); teaching work with incarcerated artists for the Prison and Neighborhood Arts\/Education Project at Stateville maximum security prison; and producing cover art for dozens of albums, including several International Anthem releases by Makaya McCraven, Hear In Now, Irreversible Entanglements, and more.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased April 9, 2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePlayers:\u003cbr\u003eAngel Bat Dawid – clarinet\u003cbr\u003eBen LaMar Gay – cornet \u0026amp; melodica\u003cbr\u003eDana Hall – drums\u003cbr\u003eDamon Locks – samples \u0026amp; electronics\u003cbr\u003eArif Smith – percussion\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSingers:\u003cbr\u003ePhillip Armstrong\u003cbr\u003eMonique Golding\u003cbr\u003eTramaine Parker\u003cbr\u003eRichie Parks\u003cbr\u003eErica Rene\u003cbr\u003eEric Tre’von\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLyrics \u0026amp; Compositions by: Damon Locks\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded August 27th-28th and September 29th, 2020, at Experimental Sound Studio, Chicago.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEngineered \u0026amp; Mixed by: Alex Inglizian\u003cbr\u003eMastered by: David Allen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlbum \u0026amp; Insert Art by: Damon Locks\u003cbr\u003eInsert Photos by: Brian Ashby\u003cbr\u003eLayout \u0026amp; Insert Design by: Craig Hansen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlbum art features photos of Raven Lewis and Tiarra Young taken by Kristie Kahns.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0039 LP - Classic Black Vinyl","offer_id":52127452725522,"sku":"IARC0039LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0039 LP - Limited Edition *Shades of Night in Gold* Color Vinyl","offer_id":52127452758290,"sku":"IARC0039LPSG","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0039 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52127452856594,"sku":"IARC0039CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0039 Digital Download","offer_id":52121000476946,"sku":"IARC0039","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a3982964827_10.jpg?v=1773717592"},{"product_id":"damon-locks-black-monument-ensemble-where-future-unfolds","title":"Damon Locks - Black Monument Ensemble - Where Future Unfolds","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eWhere Future Unfolds is a new work spirited by Chicago-based sound \u0026amp; visual artist Damon Locks. Starting as a solo sound collage piece (where Locks pulled samples from Civil Rights era speeches and recordings to create an improvisational pallet for performance on his drum machine), over 4 years the project has blossomed into his 15-piece Black Monument Ensemble – featuring musicians (including Angel Bat Dawid on clarinets and Dana Hall on drums), singers (alumni of the Chicago Children's Choir), and dancers (members of Chicago youth dance company Move Me Soul). Where Future Unfolds is a live capture of the ensemble's epic debut at the Garfield Park Botanical Conservatory on the West Side of Chicago. Recalling the spirits of Phil Cohran's Artistic Heritage Ensemble, Eddie Gale's Black Rhythm Happening, Archie Shepp's Attica Blues, and Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, the album presents an inspired, innovative \u0026amp; immediate intersection of gospel, jazz, activism \u0026amp; 808 breaks.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased May 31, 2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMusicians:\u003cbr\u003eAngel Bat Dawid (clarinets), Dana Hall (drums, percussion), Damon Locks (electronics, bells, voice), Arif Smith (percussion).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSingers:\u003cbr\u003ePhillip Armstrong, Monique Golding, Rayna Golding (on \"Rebuild A Nation\"), Eric McCarter, Tramaine Parker, Lauren Robinson.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDancers:\u003cbr\u003eAnna Martine Whitehead, Raven Lewis (Move Me Soul), Cheyenne Spencer (Move Me Soul), Mary Thomas (Move Me Soul), Bryonna Young (Move Me Soul), Tiarra Young (Move Me Soul).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLyrics \u0026amp; Compositions by: Damon Locks.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded \u0026amp; Mixed by: Charlie Mammoser.\u003cbr\u003eMastered by: Casey Rice \u0026amp; David Allen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCostumes Designed by: Jamie Hayes at Production Mode.\u003cbr\u003ePhotography by: Daris Jasper \u0026amp; Chris Hershman\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlbum Art by: Damon Locks\u003cbr\u003eLayout \u0026amp; Liner Design by: Craig Hansen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded Live at Garfield Park Conservatory, as part of Red Bull Music Festival, Chicago, November 15th, 2018.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0025 LP - Classic Black Vinyl","offer_id":52126966251794,"sku":"IARC0025LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0025 LP - Classic Black Vinyl (gold foil)","offer_id":52126965760274,"sku":"IARC0025LP_GOLDFOIL","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0025 LP - Limited Edition *Red in Black* Color Vinyl","offer_id":52126965891346,"sku":"IA-WFU-IRIB","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0025 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52126965924114,"sku":"IARC0025CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0025 Digital Download","offer_id":52121000509714,"sku":"IARC0025","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a0773898138_10.jpg?v=1773706097"},{"product_id":"dezron-douglas-atalaya","title":"Dezron Douglas - ATALAYA","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eATALAYA is new work by bassist Dezron Douglas, and it is alive. That is, ‘alive’ in all the ways that jazz is at its best – as a pure and personal expression of Black Music channeled through time-honored traditions by a group of musicians who practice sonic coherence through musical unity. As Dezron puts it in the opening statement of his liner notes for the album: “Mysticism, Magic, Faith, Love, Power, Discernment! These are words that embody the creative process of Music.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFollowers of contemporary jazz might recognize Dezron for his bass work behind Pharoah Sanders, Louis Hayes, or Ravi Coltrane. Others might know him as the newest full-time member of the Trey Anastasio Band. Steady International Anthem listeners might remember him from the New York side of Makaya McCraven's Universal Beings. More recently we presented Force Majeure, Dezron’s sublime duo record with harpist Brandee Younger, which compiled the best of livestream performances from their Harlem apartment during the original covid lockdown. That album, which came out in December of 2020, reflected the speed and feeling of the moment while somehow simultaneously distracting from the harsh reality of it. It also captured a very vulnerable, intimate, and real impression of Dezron\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eon double bass, sharing his power and truth without abandon.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eATALAYA, similarly, wasn’t processed in the lab, but rather, captured in the room. The realness factor is once again forefront in the sound; but the difference is in the energy and ambition of the music, which reaches for the stratosphere. Again, let’s defer to Dezron here: “Welcome to the Black Lion rocket ship.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith Emilio Modeste on saxes, George Burton on keys, and Joe Dyson Jr. on drums, Dezron’s crew summons the dynamism of Coltrane’s classic Quartet, or Dave Holland’s Quintet on Prime Directive, or Charles Mingus on Nostalgia In Times Square… swinging virtuosically and firing on all 4 cylinders. But there’s nothing remotely revisionist here – Dezron and his quartet embody poetry, presence, artistic and emotional clarity in every note they play. Free and dissonant, sweet and consonant, sweeping and pure… This is the band you hope is playing every time you walk into a club.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased November 18, 2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDezron Douglas – basses\u003cbr\u003eGeorge Burton – piano and rhodes\u003cbr\u003eJoe Dyson Jr. – drums\u003cbr\u003eEmilio Modeste – saxophones\u003cbr\u003eMelvis Santa – vocals and percussion on “Wheeping Birch”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll compositions by Dezron Douglas (NORZED Music ASCAP); except “Wheeping Birch” co-written by Dezron Douglas and Melvis Santa (TENAJA Sounds ASCAP).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded by Dave Vettraino, with assistance from Greg Dicastro, at Firehouse 12, New Haven, Connecticut, on August 25th and 26th, 2021. “Octopus” and vocals on “Wheeping Birch” recorded by David Stoller at Samurai Hotel, Astoria, New York, on November 28th, 2021.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Dezron Douglas.\u003cbr\u003eMixed by Dave Vettraino.\u003cbr\u003eMastered by David Allen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eArtwork by Adama Coulibaly.\u003cbr\u003ePhotography by Deneka Peniston.\u003cbr\u003eLiner Notes by Dezron Douglas.\u003cbr\u003eDesign by Jeremiah Chiu.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0058 Classic Black vinyl LP","offer_id":52121000804626,"sku":"IARC0058LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0058 Limited Edition *Deep Sea* color vinyl LP","offer_id":52121000837394,"sku":"IARC0058LPS","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0058 Compact Disc","offer_id":52121000870162,"sku":"IARC0058CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0058 Digital Download","offer_id":52121000902930,"sku":"IARC0058","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0058 Test Pressing","offer_id":52121000935698,"sku":"IARC0058LP-1","price":2.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a0328508299_10.jpg?v=1773704143"},{"product_id":"dezron-douglas-brandee-younger-force-majeure","title":"Dezron Douglas \u0026 Brandee Younger - Force Majeure","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eForce Majeure is an uplifting suite of real, soulful comfort music – an album that cathartically encapsulates an all-too-familiar human experience of 2020. Featuring 11 pieces performed by bassist Dezron Douglas \u0026amp; harpist Brandee Younger across a series of live-streamed shows from their living room in Harlem, NY, the album was self-recorded by the duo using just a single microphone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe same day Governor Andrew Cuomo shut down “non-essential” businesses throughout the state of New York, Douglas \u0026amp; Younger set up a window to the world that would prevail as a weekly musical reprieve over the devastating weeks and months to come. As the early effects of covid-19 plagued the citizens of New York City, Douglas \u0026amp; Younger did as we were all ordered to do — shelter-in-place. From their apartment in Harlem, their reflex as players and community-builders was immediate. Broadcasting via social media and spreading the word to friends and family, the duo hosted “Force Majeure: Brunch in the Crib with Brandee \u0026amp; Dezron,” a Friday morning live stream where they performed songs, said “hi” to friends tuning in, and passed a digital tip jar. The name “force majeure” — known to diligent contract-readers as a seldom-invoked bit of legalese that voids commitments in event of “extraordinary circumstances”\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e— was, for Douglas \u0026amp; Younger, a reference to the sudden loss of livelihood that they and their musician peers suffered in the wake of covid-19.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“We vowed to become a part of the resiliency of this city,” says Douglas. “You can take the work away, but you can’t stop musicians from being creative. Live streaming is just a part of it. The world as a whole saw that arts \u0026amp; entertainment is an integral and vital part of this ‘service’ city. We, musicians and creatives, are as essential to this city as the MTA is. The NYC community responded with love and honesty on a high level. Expression became vital for people to make it through the day and, at the same time, listening and watching expression became vital.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe success of Douglas \u0026amp; Younger’s initial live streams turned their series into an ongoing weekly ritual for a fast-growing audience of supporters. For most, it was a momentary musical break that helped ease the stressful weeks of lockdown, even as the weeks turned into months and the re-opening date extended further and further into the future. In late May, as the country erupted over the compounded murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and countless other Black Americans, Douglas \u0026amp; Younger continued to connect from their Friday morning platform, uniting with more and more people through the healing power of playing, sharing, and listening. The series got attention from NPR, The Wall Street Journal, Boiler Room, Downbeat, and others; but regardless, finding the creative energy to devote to the project was a regular challenge for the two musicians. “Sometimes it was hard to be creative because the mood in the world was so dark, but every Friday we felt compelled to give back and allow GOD to heal through vibration,” says Douglas. Not only was the human connection vital, the duo felt a responsibility as stewards of music’s future. “Whatever the next thing is, I will make it a point to be involved because Music saved my life, saves lives, and must be taken care of.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe repertoire that Douglas \u0026amp; Younger performed began with standards they knew and music they wanted to learn (or “get inside of,” as Douglas often said), but evolved on a week-to-week basis to incorporate shifting emotions, milestones, and special requests from friends and family. Younger recalls: “In choosing the repertoire we played, it was definitely more organic and personal. When we realized a birthday of a certain artist or holiday was coming, we'd do something in dedication… Sometimes we'd pick the rep based on our mood. On those very dark days that Dez mentioned, we'd play “Sing\" to perk up the mood. Something about that song just brings smiles all around. It was very hard to fake when the mood was dark, though. Marvin Gaye helped us out a lot during that time, as did some spirituals.” With what became their brunch staples they covered a broad range of memories and sounds, including classics by The Stylistics, The Jackson 5, Alice \u0026amp; John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Kate Bush, Sting, and The Carpenters, as well as a co-written original composition with which they ended every set, “Toilet Paper Romance.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom the earliest sessions, the duo worked alongside International Anthem to review the weekly recordings; together they compiled, edited, and eventually arrived at the stream-to-songbook of Force Majeure. Between the choicest takes of tunes chosen for the final album sequence, they put excerpts of their sometimes cute or comedic, often profound banter. Notably Douglas’s voice ends both side A and side B with off-the-cuff variations of: “Black Music cannot be replicated, it can only be expressed.” Like poetic bookends for Force Majeure, his words could also serve as foundational principles for the work, underscoring the importance of authenticity and integrity in music.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDouglas elaborates: “Black Music, no matter what genre, is exactly what it is — Music created by Black Musicians for the sake of vibrating on our own frequencies of understanding and empathy. I love all music, but I also recognize that music is a cultural and regional vibration. You don’t have to be Black to play Black music, but if you are out here making money off of Black Culture and have no empathy for the People and the Culture then you are even more part of the problem. Black Lives Matter because for a long time our lives didn’t matter and it was Normal — normal to society and normal to us as Black humans. What’s different between then and now is the fact that the Virus has given people time to focus on the current social media platform used to document evil in this world. The filming and documentation of the loss of human life to evil is more powerful than Politics and Government. It’s LIFE showing us how Inhumane we are as a Human Race. Yet we still haven’t figured it out yet. Let’s hope we aren’t the catalyst for this planet to implode. That would be unfortunate considering we have the chance to fix it. We have the chance to do right by Mother Nature and we have the chance to do right by each other. We always have a chance. Change is inevitable, but is evil and selfishness and self-righteousness a part of change? Certainly! Is Love and Empathy and Humanity a part of change? Most definitely! What side are you on? We are on the side of Love.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDouglas \u0026amp; Younger understand that the revolution begins with a transformation of the heart. And for the heart to be transformed, it must be lifted up. “This album is a testament to the power of music to uplift us through the most challenging times,” says friend, collaborator, and fellow International Anthem recording artist, Makaya McCraven. Force Majeure is an uplifting suite of real, soulful comfort music – a spiritual salve, emanating warmth from the hearth of a Harlem sanctuary.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- bio by Joe Darling \u0026amp; Scott McNiece -\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBassist, composer, bandleader, and educator Dezron Douglas has established himself as a major force in contemporary creative music. A protégé of the great Jackie McLean, the Downbeat Magazine 2019 Rising Star is known for his work with Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, Cyrus Chestnut, David Murray, Louis Hayes, and also with piano legends George Cables, Eric Reed, Mulgrew Miller and Benny Green. Douglas has recorded on more than 100 albums, contributing to the artistry of numerous bandleaders and maintaining an integral presence in the sounds of his peers, which include Keyon Harrold, Jonathan Blake, Melanie Charles, and Makaya McCraven. He is an active music educator, currently on the Jazz Studies faculty at NYU Steinhardt. He has released 6 albums as a lead artist and maintains a variety of projects that he uses as platforms for his compositions. His band, Black Lion, released their latest single “COBRA” in October of 2020.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHarpist, composer, educator, and concert curator Brandee Younger is known for her work with Ravi Coltrane, Moses Sumney, Lauryn Hill and producer Salaam Remi. The New Yorker has described her instrumental craft as “radiant playing ... as cogent on hip-hop and R\u0026amp;B albums as it is set against classical and jazz backdrops.” Her work often extends to illustrious heights, featured by Beyoncé in Netflix’s concert documentary Beyoncé: Homecoming as well as Quincy Jones and Steve McQueen in 2019’s “Soundtrack of America” series. She recently joined the harp faculty at NYU Steinhardt and the New School in Manhattan. When Alice Coltrane passed away in 2007, her son Ravi Coltrane asked Younger to perform at the memorial. Her performance “moved me and everyone in attendance from the first glissando,” Coltrane told the New York Times. “No harpist thus far has been more capable of combining all of the modern harp traditions — from Salzedo, through Dorothy Ashby, through Alice Coltrane — with such strength, grace and commitment.” Younger recently signed to Impulse! Records, with whom she has a new album planned for release in 2021.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDouglas \u0026amp; Younger are long-time companions in life and in music. The two East Coast natives met early in life and have accompanied each other, personally and professionally, through equally prolific careers. “Brandee and I met in college, University of Hartford, Hartt School of Music, back in 2001,” remembers Douglas. “Her practice room was across the hall from mine. We began a friendship instantly through music and Black culture. We would jam a lot in college when she wanted to practice ‘Jazz.’ She was a Classical Harp and Music Business double major and she was heavily influenced by Jazz and Black Music so I sort of became an outlet for her to walk on the wild side in the eyes of University and Classical politics.” To this day, Douglas and Younger often accompany each other in the ensembles they lead, respectively. The two have played together in the Ravi Coltrane Quartet, with The Baylor Project, and in sessions for Makaya McCraven’s 2018 release Universal Beings, on which they are both featured artists. Force Majeure is their first release as a duo.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased December 4, 2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll music arranged by Brandee Younger \u0026amp; Dezron Douglas;\u003cbr\u003eexcept \"Inshallah\" arranged by Dezron Douglas.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDezron Douglas - double bass, bass guitar, voice\u003cbr\u003eBrandee Younger - harp, voice\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded between March and June, 2020, at Dezron \u0026amp; Brandee's apartment in Harlem, New York.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEngineered by Brandee Younger.\u003cbr\u003eRemote Recording Assistance by David Allen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEdited \u0026amp; Sequenced by Scott McNiece.\u003cbr\u003eMixed \u0026amp; Mastered by Dave Vettraino.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCover Art by Esther Sibiude.\u003cbr\u003eDesign \u0026amp; Layout by Craig Hansen.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0038 - Classic Black vinyl LP","offer_id":52121000968466,"sku":"IARC0038LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0038 Limited Edition *Mimosa* color vinyl LP","offer_id":52121001001234,"sku":"IA-FM-IMCV","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0038 - Compact Disc","offer_id":52121001034002,"sku":"IARC0038CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0038 Digital Download","offer_id":52121001066770,"sku":"IARC0038","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0038 Test Pressing (Pallas)","offer_id":52121001099538,"sku":"IARC0038LP-1","price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0038 Test Pressing (Smashed Plastic)","offer_id":52121001132306,"sku":"IARC0038LP-2","price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a3667047525_10_dbccf59a-c704-431a-84b0-df68347f8865.jpg?v=1773705260"},{"product_id":"irreversible-entanglements-open-the-gates","title":"Irreversible Entanglements - Open The Gates","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eIrreversible Entanglements’ third full-length album OPEN THE GATES is ethereal shards of jagged onyx, a melancholic exploration of the post-colonial debris that surrounds us. Let’s watch and listen, as this platter snakes through the sandy ashes of possible histories, dialogs with a nervous present, and asks to be birthed into a holographic new future. “Together in holy sound!” the band stitches patient anthems out of atmosphere. Pulling from a wider sonic vocabulary than on previous excursions, the agit-jazz found here is simultaneously pre- and post-apocalypse, as bass lurches in a tranced-out loop, horns are up in the track grooves like poltergeists playing in the streets, poetry cascades like a warrior call at a satsang, the drums both wild and refined pulse with uhuru-heart cadence. This is Irreversible Entanglements on new ground; same as the old ground.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd we need it now – the universe was awash in the sickly static veneer of anti-cosmos, of anti-nation; the halls were emptied, our shadows echoing and staining the walls of our abandoned oases – so we poured out into 2020’s wild streets. The ghosts of our labor danced around the sickness as we set fire to our old ways of thinking and moving, as we set fire to cop cars and bashed in the windows of our own rising disenfranchisement. “Open the gates!”\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewe shouted, blessed be – we need it now!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHere come Irreversible Entanglements – Luke Stewart, the high priest on bass; Aquiles Navarro, the electric universe in human form on trumpet; Keir Neuringer, the cosmologist with the siren sound on sax; Tcheser Holmes, the griot, the myth-maker on drums; and Camae Ayewa, the Moor mother with an empyrean pen game – on this new disc with their fierce aural tectonics shifting the earth, their watery post-pangea as dirge, their punk rock ethos and crash and bang polyrhythmic super-sonic sound synesthesia in the form of OPEN THE GATES – here it comes, my Brothas and Sistas, here it comes.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased November 12, 2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCamae Ayewa - voice, synth\u003cbr\u003eKeir Neuringer - saxophone, synth, percussion\u003cbr\u003eAquiles Navarro - trumpet, synth\u003cbr\u003eLuke Stewart - double bass, bass guitar\u003cbr\u003eTcheser Holmes - drums, percussion\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded on January 5th, 2021, at Rittenhouse Soundworks, Philadelphia. Mixed in April, 2021, at International Anthem Studios, Chicago. Mastered in May, 2021, at Elysian Masters, Los Angeles.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProduced by: Camae Ayewa, Keir Neuringer, Aquiles Navarro, Luke Stewart, and Tcheser Holmes.\u003cbr\u003eRecorded by: Michael Richelle.\u003cbr\u003eMixed by: Dave Vettraino.\u003cbr\u003eMastered by: Dave Cooley.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCover Photo by: Cyrus Moussavi.\u003cbr\u003eBack Cover \u0026amp; Liner Photos by: Bob Sweeney.\u003cbr\u003eLiner Notes by: Alex Smith.\u003cbr\u003eDesign \u0026amp; Layout by: Craig Hansen.\u003cbr\u003eExecutive Production by: Scott McNiece \u0026amp; David Allen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e(( Album cover photo \u0026amp; \"Open The Gates\" video feature Judah Son of Pharoh ))\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0049 - Classic Black vinyl gatefold double LP","offer_id":52121002705170,"sku":"IARC0049LP","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0049 - Limited Edition *NEPTUNE BLUE* color vinyl gatefold double LP","offer_id":52121002737938,"sku":"IARC0049LPS","price":39.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0049 - Compact Disc","offer_id":52121002770706,"sku":"IARC0049CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0049 Digital Download","offer_id":52121002803474,"sku":"IARC0049","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a3760979007_10.jpg?v=1773719302"},{"product_id":"jaimie-branch-fly-or-die","title":"jaimie branch - Fly or Die","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eA mainstay of the Chicago jazz scene and an active recent addition to the New York scene, Jaimie Branch is an avant-garde trumpeter known for her “ghostly sounds,\" says The New York Times, and for \"sucker punching\" crowds straight from the jump off, says Time Out. Her classical training and “unique voice capable of transforming every ensemble of which she is a part” (Jazz Right Now) has contributed to a wide range of projects not only in jazz but also punk, noise, indie rock, electronic and hip-hop. Branch’s work as a composer and a producer, as well as a sideman for the likes of William Parker, Matana Roberts, TV on the Radio and Spoon, is all on display in her debut record Fly or Die – a dynamic 35-minute ride that dares listeners to open their minds to music that knows no genre, no gender, no limits.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“It’s a true joy to listen to Jaimie Branch’s Fly or Die. Jaimie’s masterful trumpet playing sits at the helm of this gorgeous record, richly supported by a stellar cast of musicians, and upheld by strong and provocative composition.” – Sarah Neufeld (Arcade Fire)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Super out tunes that continually open new doors to strange, sweet, and psychedelic grooves. Band is constantly cracking some ancient alien code here. Seamless and effortless compositions from Branch. An absolute “must jam” for anyone interested in the\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003efuture of mind expansion.\" – Ryley Walker\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Fly or Die\u003cbr\u003eFleet footed solar cry\u003cbr\u003eBreath of a neon dragon\u003cbr\u003eStomping Whaling Kryptonite\u003cbr\u003eDelicate as thin ice on the rim of a red rose petal\u003cbr\u003eShatters all\u003cbr\u003eFresh as the beginning after the end of the world\u003cbr\u003eSonic sowing\u003cbr\u003eNew clay\u003cbr\u003ePot of gold\u003cbr\u003eDie or Fly\u003cbr\u003eYou choose”\u003cbr\u003e– Rob Mazurek\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn January of 2016, Jaimie Branch launched a monthly free jazz series with a new ensemble at Brooklyn’s now debunked Manhattan Inn. Sharing the first night of her series with a trio on tour from Chicago (Nick Mazzarella, Anton Hatwich and Frank Rosaly), the trumpeter Branch assembled a quartet to match: cellist Tomeka Reid, bassist Jason Ajemian, and drummer Chad Taylor. Between visitors and expats, it was a night of performers exclusively from The Windy City. “I wanted New York to hear what Chicago sounds like,” says Branch.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThough the format that first night was free, by the time International Anthem family returned to New York to record her in June, Branch had refined her improvised melodies into a suite of themes for to be played by that same quartet. Engineers David Allen \u0026amp; Dave Vettraino recorded the band over an afternoon at Branch’s sister Kate’s apartment in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Branch post-produced those recordings, added overdubs, blended in live takes, cut and stitched the music into its final structure at Vettraino’s home studio in Chicago in July. The finishing touch was her totally bizarre, totally brilliant commissioning of acoustic guitar overdubs by Chicago friend Matt Schneider (Moon Bros). His brief classical plucking of strings, the epilogue in “…back at the ranch,” perfectly caps the dynamic manic-depressive journey in true Jaimie Branch fashion. She's making light of a heavy situation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRegardless of a relatively prolific and consistent decade-plus career performing, composing and collaborating with a lengthy list of jazz world notables, this album is Jaimie Branch's first final work as a leader. Over a dozen friends from Chicago to New York came together under her direction to bring it into being, and the genuine depth of character present in every element makes it well worth the wait. A categorical movement of courageous ascent, Fly or Die conveys a lifetime of experience in a singular suite.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased May 5, 2017\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFly or Die is:\u003cbr\u003ejaimie branch - trumpet\u003cbr\u003eTomeka Reid - cello\u003cbr\u003eJason Ajemian - bass\u003cbr\u003eChad Taylor - drums.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCameos by:\u003cbr\u003eMatt Schneider – guitar\u003cbr\u003eBen Lamar Gay – cornet\u003cbr\u003eJosh Berman – cornet\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded \u0026amp; Mixed by Dave Vettraino \u0026amp; David Allen\u003cbr\u003eEdited by jaimie branch \u0026amp; Dave Vettraino\u003cbr\u003eMastered by Shelly Steffens\u003cbr\u003eCover Art by jaimie branch \u0026amp; John Herndon\u003cbr\u003eCover Design by Damon Locks\u003cbr\u003eLayout \u0026amp; Liner Design by Craig Hansen\u003cbr\u003eInsert Photo by Peter Gannushkin\u003cbr\u003eLiner Photos by David Allen \u0026amp; Scott McNiece\u003cbr\u003eExecutive Producer: Scott McNiece\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"info license\" id=\"license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0011 - Limousine Black Vinyl LP","offer_id":52121002967314,"sku":"IARC0011LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0011 - Pigeon Shit Color Vinyl LP","offer_id":52121003000082,"sku":"664992991212colored","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0011 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52121003032850,"sku":"IA-IARC0011CD","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0011 Digital Download","offer_id":52121003065618,"sku":"IARC0011","price":10.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a4276262224_10.jpg?v=1773954509"},{"product_id":"jaimie-branch-fly-or-die-live","title":"jaimie branch - FLY or DIE LIVE","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eFull flight capture of the full Fly or Die suite, parts 1 \u0026amp; 2 compounded \u0026amp; flawlessly communicated in a singular epic of raw cosmic brilliance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003efull story in the words of Piotr Orlov here:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere is a moment near the top of jaimie branch’s FLY or DIE LIVE, the new album recorded by the trumpeter’s quartet in Zurich, Switzerland on January 23rd, 2020, which feels like it bears the weight of both that specific pocket of time, and a prophecy for all that was soon to come. branch and her Fly or Die crew — cellist Lester St. Louis, double bassist Jason Ajemian, and drummer\/percussionist\/mbira player Chad Taylor — had just kicked off the concert at Moods, with the opening tracks off their then-new studio album FLY or DIE II: Bird Dogs of Paradise, the second of which, “Prayer for Amerikkka” is among the best political songs written during the Tr*mp Era, and when the moment in question pops off.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe multi-part “Prayer” begins as a goth-blues stomp, its moaning ghosts flying around the room. A week into a European tour and after three months of constant live performance, Fly or Die is at home in this new song’s contours, messing with its internal machinery while guiding its meaning. By now, “Prayer” had gained a tough\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003espoken-word intro, bringing the context as it slowly gearshifts the intensity: “It’s a song about America,” off-the-cuffs branch while the band seethes behind her, “but it’s about a whole lotta places — ‘cause it’s not just America where shit’s fucked up...” Then arrives the climax, at once site-specific and far-reaching: “...and it’s not always time to be neutral, do you know what I mean?” The gathered Swiss crowd knows, understands, and responds vocally, as Taylor’s backbeats cue branch to bring the trumpet to her lips, and let out a high-pitched wail. Her horn doesn’t know what’s about to happen to our world, and yet, somehow, it does — with only the catastrophic details needing to be worked out. For the next 12 minutes, “Prayer” careens through its twists of wide-eyed racism and family separation, Ajemian and Taylor driving branch’s punk-jazz Morricone horn line. “This is a warning, honey…” cries the song, and over the ensuing 70 minutes, the band echoes its sentiment, filled with glee and terror.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhere were you in January of 2020, those last moments of the Before Times? Where was your mind, your body, your soul? Did you have plans, hopes and aspirations for the oncoming calendar trip around the sun just starting its initial turn? Were you embroiled in the turmoil continuing to roil the feeds and the headlines, or steeling yourself for the ones that we all knew were incoming during an especially contentious American election year? Maybe both. Or maybe you felt there was some hope blowing in the air.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“There was so much promise for the year,” remembers branch. A world of possibilities was certainly pending for Fly or Die leading into 2020 and that Zurich gig. The group was in their favored environment, the stage, where their individual relationships had been molded. branch and Ajemian had been playing together since the mid-’00s in Chicago, and admiring Taylor’s work with the Chicago Underground and at the city’s legendary Velvet Lounge jam-session for just as long. When Fly or Die made its debut at Brooklyn’s Manhattan Inn in 2016, they made up three-quarters of the band. branch and St. Louis met in 2015 after jaimie first moved to New York, while St. Louis was working at the Spectrum club where branch played on occasion. (Soon St. Louis replaced original Fly or Die cellist Tomeka Reid, who departed the band to concentrate on her own myriad of commitments.) In the years since, this quartet had grown into a powerful unit, adept at conjuring musical environments that could be forceful and rhythmic one moment, and fragile the next.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“So much of what the band is about is the trust between the players and the rapport on stage,” says branch. “The trust means no one's going to drop the ball. The band is all improvisers, that's a really key thing. (A lot of people improvise, but not everybody's an improviser.) And I feel like this band especially is made up of them. So much of the music is led with the ears first.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn Fly or Die’s sophomore album Bird Dogs of Paradise, which dropped in October 2019, branch had composed and recorded a batch of songs that showcased a political perspective and cutting sense of humor, balancing experimentalism and accessibility, party and erudition, “jazz” and the next thing. They were now headed out on the road to show off these songs — “the most touring this band would have ever done,” according to branch — integrating them in suite-like fashion with music from branch’s critically acclaimed 2017 debut. High on the work they were presenting, ready to lock into, and have some fun with it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe late fall saw a month-long tour of Europe; December featured record release shows in LA, Brooklyn and Chicago; then in January, it was back to the EU for a two-week (no days off) sprint, of which the Thursday night at Zurich fell almost directly in the middle. The night before, January 22nd, at Oslo’s Victoria Nasjonal Jazzscene was an upbeat one — St. Louis’ partner had surprised him by flying in from the States; and branch, who earlier thought she’d lost a bag with her passport, documents and cash, had it returned by their van driver after the gig. (No reason for anyone to notice that the Coronavirus had made its debut on the front-page of the New York Times that day.) The positive energy carried over to Switzerland. Soundcheck at Moods, “a big, nice theater in the middle of Zurich,” went well. branch had to talk the venue into the band doing one long set instead of two, but she also agreed to them making a multi-track recording of the set. “The vibe in the band was pretty high,” says branch.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom the offset, it sounds like that’s the case on both sides of the stage. The calm before the “Prayer” storm finds Taylor’s mbira and branch’s muted horn in a gentle duet, interweaving textures and melodies. The storm’s aftermath, “Lesterlude,” is a St. Louis-bowed solo feature turn, moving the strings towards the noise. Each individual song connects to the next, performed in a continuous, no-stop style, a part of the group’s DNA on record as well as stage. By “Twenty-Three N Me,” they are beginning to stretch into free spaces, and the crowd’s timely enunciations betray the fact that the audience too is up on every note. “Whales,” an Ajemian-led interlude, brings the sound palette to the bottom of the ocean, before Taylor’s intricate, rim-heavy beat returns us to the surface and gets the debut album’s “Theme 001” rolling into a full-on dance number. Approving screams pile up. The quiet-loud\/fast-slow alteration continues: Taylor solos softly (“Meanwhile”), before exploding alongside Ajemian to push branch on a supple, double-time swing (“Theme 002,” with branch in Cootie Williams mode). Later Ajemian’s bass is joined by Taylor’s thumb-piano and St. Louis’ arco, before going on a solo stroll, upping the tempo and ending in the funky second-line swagger of “Simple Silver Surfer” (with great melodic counterpoint by St. Louis). It’s crisp and fun, the laughter in the audience answered on-stage. By the forever set-ending, self-indicting new-bar-standard, “Love Song (For Assholes and Clowns),” branch is conducting the sing-along. Then, soon, it is over.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo, how was it? At the time, Moods was just another stop on a never-ending tour. Italy next, we gotta go. The following month and a half was a blur too, amidst the increasingly dire headlines: the February Pacific Northwest dates found Fly or Die slaying PDX Jazz, but “we keep hearing whispers of this COVID stuff,” and less than 10 days after playing in Seattle, the city finds itself as the first American virus hotspot. In early March, before a gig at DC’s Kennedy Center, there’s a cancellation or two (“a little bit of gloom”). The following night at Brooklyn’s Roulette — the last gig many in attendance would see before quarantine — the bottom drops out (“six cancellations in an hour”). The tour ends, and everything stops. Forever — or what increasingly feels like it. Though a tape arrived from Zurich in early May, branch didn’t actually listen to it until the Fall. “I didn't want to be disappointed,” she says. Such was the headspace.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I didn't have a memory of the show being an amazing show,” branch says. “But sometimes when you have zero memory of it being good or bad, those are the best shows. Because when you're in the zone, in those moments of channeling creativity, there isn't time for judgment. So oftentimes a memory is not created around that judgment, and that's actually a good indication.” When branch did pop the tape in, she was unequivocal: “I think this is like the best that we've ever played.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ebranch’s personal highlight of FLY or DIE LIVE also comes on “Prayer,” and it too speaks of something greater than what you’ll hear on the recordings, or that the audience at Moods is likely to have picked up on: “There’s a moment in Part Two of the song when Jason flips the bassline and there's this moment of weirdness, but nobody even stops—this is what I'm talking about with trust. So I just added half a bar more of a vocal, because I heard Jason got wonky. And then Chad added a [verbalizes a fill]. It's my favorite part of the whole record because I hear the mistake and I hear us bulldoze through it, turn the mistake into a dance — because that's really what it is at the core of all of this, music as dance.” No neutrality there either.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased May 21, 2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ejaimie branch – trumpet, vocals, vibraslap\u003cbr\u003eLester St. Louis – cello, vocals, tiny cymbal\u003cbr\u003eJason Ajemian – bass, vocals, egg shakers\u003cbr\u003eChad Taylor – drums, vocals, mbira\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded Live at Moods, Zurich, Switzerland,\u003cbr\u003e1\/23\/2020.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEngineered by Thierry Looser.\u003cbr\u003eMixed by Dave Vettraino.\u003cbr\u003eMastered by David Allen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCover Photo by jaimie branch.\u003cbr\u003eGatefold Collage by jaimie branch.\u003cbr\u003eCenter Sticker Portraits by Abdesslam MIRDASS.\u003cbr\u003eLayout \u0026amp; Insert Design by Craig Hansen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSpecial thanks to all at Moods, specifically Jacqueline Wüst, Carine Zuber, Sebastian Brunner.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA big thank you to Scottie McNiece, David Allen, Dave Vettraino and everyone at International Anthem Recording Company, Regina Greene, the whole team at Saudades, the crew at Moods, Maya Carney, Jody, Soledad I + II, Will Yak, Kate Branch, Jason, Lester, Chad and everyone who Flies with us. Flock up, Much Love. ~j breezy\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"info license\" id=\"license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0041 2xLP - Classic Black Vinyl","offer_id":52121003491602,"sku":"IARC0041LP","price":31.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0041  2xLP - \"Shredded American Flag\" Color Vinyl","offer_id":52121003524370,"sku":"IARC0041LPS","price":38.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0041 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52121003557138,"sku":"IARC0041CD","price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0041 Digital Download","offer_id":52121003589906,"sku":"IARC0041","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a0259433205_10.jpg?v=1773955194"},{"product_id":"jamire-williams-but-only-after-you-have-suffered","title":"Jamire Williams - But Only After You Have Suffered","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e'But Only After You Have Suffered' is a densely layered and deeply personal new work from multidisciplinary artist, composer, percussionist \u0026amp; producer Jamire Williams.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eConceived as a spiritual, autobiographical artistic statement, Jamire applies sound collage practice to modern jazz composition, beat production, MC\/vocalist features, and his uniquely impressionistic drumming style – making an album as akin to minimalist painting as an art-house film soundtrack or a classic hip-hop mixtape. A “self-reflective, almost testimonial work” that swiftly cycles across a vast spectrum of styles, it's the culmination of his five-year musical journey to the outer reaches of his own sound. It’s the album he has always wanted to make.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo do so he engages his faith and the friends and family that shaped him, working with a host of close collaborators in a free and spontaneous manner. The shared musical, communal, and spiritual sensibility gives the album its sense of unity. “It’s a whole work,” Jamire explains. “It flows seamlessly, and it’s meant to keep playing until you really understand all the messages, prayers, and cries.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAcross twelve multi-faceted tracks, he brings together artists from his hometown of Houston (vocalists Corey King, Lisa E\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e. Harris, Fat Tony, Jawwaad Taylor), those he became close to over several years living in LA (Sam Gendel, Zeroh, Mic Holden, Josh Johnson, fellow International Anthem artist Carlos Niño), and other creative partners from his life-long journey in sound (Chassol, Svet, Kenneth Whalum).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs such, 'But Only After You Have Suffered' builds its own world from the pull between Jamire’s jazz heritage - eleven years as a drummer in NYC recording with world-renowned musicians like Jason Moran, Christian Scott, and Dr. Lonnie Smith - and the experimental, narrative art-pop of his more recent work with Solange, Moses Sumney, and Blood Orange.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIts origins can also be traced to his 2016 solo percussion album '\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ Effectual' (released by Leaving Records) - a turning point for Jamire, who has since embarked on a process of stripping back and breaking down his musical identity, creating a new sound from the fragments that most speak to his experience as a musician and a person.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRooted in his faith, Jamire opens the album with “Hands Up,” a devotional hymn cut against the stark reality of the modern world that sounds like an apocalyptic middle-grounding of Kendrick Lamar’s 'To Pimp A Butterfly' and Merry Clayton’s “Gimme Shelter.” Whether in the rousing, spiritual “Just Hold On” or the fluid verses of Fat Tony on “Safe Travels,” the music exists in the tension between higher realms and social realities - what Jamire calls the “duality of a personal thing and what I’m seeing in my community, in the Black community, as a Black man.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe album reaches its climax on “Pause In His Presence,” which features a chilling operatic performance from Lisa E. Harris, recorded in one take off the back of a single conversation and a shared vision between the two artists. “Every time I hear that song, I cry,” Jamire says. “It’s so real.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHaving recently moved back to Houston, the release of 'But Only After You Have Suffered' marks a moment of Jamire coming full circle. A literal homecoming and his arrival as an undeniably multi-faceted artist in his own right.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased December 3, 2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Jamire Williams.\u003cbr\u003eRecorded \u0026amp; Mixed by Jake Viator at Stones Throw Studios in Los Angeles, CA.\u003cbr\u003eMastered by Dave Cooley at Elysian Masters, Los Angeles, CA.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eArt by Nik Ewing.\u003cbr\u003eLiner Notes by Charisse Weston.\u003cbr\u003eInsert Portrait by Ray Neutron.\u003cbr\u003eLayout \u0026amp; Insert Design by Craig Hansen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJamire Williams – drums, vocals, drum programming, samplers, mellotron, synthesizer, sequencer, electric piano\u003cbr\u003eBrandon Owens – bass guitar\u003cbr\u003eBurniss Travis – bass\u003cbr\u003eCarlos Niño – percussion\u003cbr\u003eChassol – keyboards, synthesizer, programming\u003cbr\u003eCorey King – vocals\u003cbr\u003eDaniel Aged – bass guitar\u003cbr\u003eFat Tony – vocals\u003cbr\u003eFlash Gordon Parks – turntable\u003cbr\u003eJason Arce – bass clarinet\u003cbr\u003eJason Moran – piano\u003cbr\u003eJawwaad Taylor – vocals\u003cbr\u003eJoelle Corey – vocals\u003cbr\u003eJosh Johnson – mellotron, synthesizer, programming\u003cbr\u003eKenneth Whalum – vocals\u003cbr\u003eLisa E. Harris – vocals\u003cbr\u003eMatthew Stevens – lead guitar\u003cbr\u003eMic Holden – vocals\u003cbr\u003eMike Haldeman – guitar synthesizer\u003cbr\u003ePaul Cornish – midi strings\u003cbr\u003ePeter Lee Johnson – strings \u0026amp; string arrangement\u003cbr\u003eSam Gendel – guitar synthesizer, alto saxophone\u003cbr\u003eSvet – vocals\u003cbr\u003eZeroh – vocals\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Safe Travels\" contains a sample of the recording “I Need Your Love” performed by Skip Mahoaney \u0026amp; The Casuals, courtesy of The Numero Group. Written by Skip Mahoaney \u0026amp; James Purdie. Published by Dust Index (BMI). Used with permission. All rights reserved.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0046 - Classic Black vinyl LP","offer_id":52121003622674,"sku":"IARC0046LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0046 - Limited Edition *Clay Slip* color vinyl LP","offer_id":52121003655442,"sku":"IARC0046LPS","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0046 - Compact Disc","offer_id":52121003688210,"sku":"IARC0046CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0046 Digital Download","offer_id":52121003720978,"sku":"IARC0046","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a1572508792_10.jpg?v=1773955403"},{"product_id":"jeff-parker-the-new-breed-ia11-edition","title":"Jeff Parker - The New Breed (IA11 Edition)","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eJeff Parker’s 2016 album The New Breed was a turning point for both Parker and International Anthem, changing the trajectory of his solo career as well as drawing an abundance of attention to our fresh imprint despite our then very limited catalog. Most importantly though, the album is the first to give voice to Parker’s wholly unique take on sample-based beat construction augmented by improvisation and live instrumentation (performed in this case by the high-level crew of Paul Bryan on bass, Josh Johnson on alto saxophone and keys, Jamire Williams and Jay Bellerose on drums, Parker's daughter Ruby on vocals, and Parker himself on guitar, synths, and other instruments).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat began as Jeff’s interest in understanding his own idea of hip-hop processes (and how they related to his work in jazz) expanded into a blueprint for much of his work since then. (Hear also: The New Breed’s expansive followup Suite For Max Brown, the gentle deconstructionist solo guitar of Forfolks, and the long-form slow bloom improvisation of The Way Out of Easy.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe IA11 Edition LP features our IARC 2025 obi strip, plus a new 16-page 11x11\" insert booklet with unpublished session photos, new liner notes by album co-producer Paul Bryan, and an in-depth conversation between Jeff Parker and IARC co-founder Scott McNiece.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased June 27, 2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Paul Bryan and Jeff Parker\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - electric guitar, Korg MS20, Wurlitzer electric piano, Mellotron, loops and samplers, MIDI and drum programming\u003cbr\u003eJosh Johnson - alto saxophone, flute, clarinet, Wurlitzer electric piano, Mellotron\u003cbr\u003ePaul Bryan - electric bass guitar\u003cbr\u003eJamire Williams - drums\u003cbr\u003eJay Bellerose - drums and percussion (“Visions” only)\u003cbr\u003eRuby Parker - vocals\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEngineered, edited and mixed by Paul Bryan intermittently from February to December, 2015 in Santa Monica CA. Vocals recorded by John McEntire at SOMA E.M.S., Chicago. Mastered by Dave Cooley at Elysian Masters, Los Angeles.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll songs and lyrics composed and arranged by Jeff Parker (umjabuglafeesh music, BMI), except “Visions” by Bobby Hutcherson\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"info license\" id=\"license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0009 CD - Compact Disc (IA11 Edition)","offer_id":52611547693330,"sku":"IARC0009CD11","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0009 LP - Classic Black vinyl (IA11 Edition)","offer_id":52121004409106,"sku":"IARC0009LP11","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0009 Digital Download","offer_id":52121004441874,"sku":null,"price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a2865319863_10.jpg?v=1773956708"},{"product_id":"makaya-mccraven-in-the-moment","title":"Makaya McCraven - In the Moment","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eNearly 48 hours of live improvised performance recorded at 1 venue over 12 months and 28 shows - culled, cut, rendered, and remixed into 19 potent pieces of organic beat music.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased January 20, 2015\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMakaya McCraven - drums, beats, loops \u0026amp; overdubs\u003cbr\u003eMatt Ulery - double bass \u0026amp; bass guitar\u003cbr\u003eMarquis Hill - trumpet\u003cbr\u003eJunius Paul - double bass \u0026amp; bass guitar\u003cbr\u003eJustefan - vibraphone\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - guitar\u003cbr\u003eJoshua Abrams - double bass\u003cbr\u003eDe'Sean Jones - tenor saxophone\u003cbr\u003eTony Barba - tenor saxophone \u0026amp; electronics\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eExecutive Producer: Scott McNiece\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Makaya McCraven\u003cbr\u003eRecorded by Dave Vettraino\u003cbr\u003eMixed by Dave Vettraino \u0026amp; Makaya McCraven\u003cbr\u003eMastered by Shelly Steffens\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCover photo by Nathan Michael\u003cbr\u003eDesign by Craig Hansen \u0026amp; Leah Ball\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0003 2xLP - Classic Black Vinyl (2022 Repress)","offer_id":52121006080274,"sku":"IARC0003LP","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0003 2xLP - Classic Black Vinyl","offer_id":52121006047506,"sku":"IARC0003LP_old","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0003 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52132814553362,"sku":"inthemomentcd","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0003 Digital Download","offer_id":52121006113042,"sku":"IARC0003","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a1054862901_10.jpg?v=1774055327"},{"product_id":"makaya-mccraven-in-the-moment-deluxe-edition","title":"Makaya McCraven - In the Moment Deluxe Edition","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\"One of the most important recordings to date in the modern jazz world.\" – Turntable Lab\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMakaya McCraven's early 2015 offering In The Moment was pared from nearly 48 hours of live, improvised performance recorded at 1 venue over 12 months and 28 shows. Working with instrumental contributions from an array of Chicago jazz players (including Jeff Parker, Joshua Abrams, Marquis Hill, and Matt Ulery), Makaya culled, cut, rendered and remixed the mass of sounds into 19 potent pieces of organic beat music for the original 80-minute, 2xLP issue.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt the close of a breakthrough 2015 (with In The Moment receiving high marks from BBC’s Gilles Peterson, New York Times, and ‘Best of 2015’ honors from Los Angeles Times, Apple Music, NPR Music’s Jazz Critics Poll, and more), International Anthem announced a limited vinyl pressing of In The Moment E \u0026amp; F Sides, which contains 40 new minutes of music produced by Makaya from the same source material and mastered by Low End Theory founder Daddy Kev.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe In The Moment Deluxe Edition compiles both the original 19-track In The Moment and the 40-minute E \u0026amp; F Sides into a single 3xLP (and 2xCD) collection.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased March 18, 2016\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMakaya McCraven - drums, beats, loops \u0026amp; overdubs\u003cbr\u003eMatt Ulery - double bass \u0026amp; bass guitar\u003cbr\u003eMarquis Hill - trumpet\u003cbr\u003eJunius Paul - double bass \u0026amp; bass guitar\u003cbr\u003eJustefan - vibraphone\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - guitar\u003cbr\u003eJoshua Abrams - double bass\u003cbr\u003eDe'Sean Jones - tenor saxophone\u003cbr\u003eTony Barba - tenor saxophone \u0026amp; electronics\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eExecutive Production by Scott McNiece \u0026amp; David Allen\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Makaya McCraven\u003cbr\u003eRecorded \u0026amp; Mixed by Dave Vettraino\u003cbr\u003eEdited by Makaya McCraven\u003cbr\u003eMastered by Shelly Steffens and Daddy Kev\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCover Photo by Nathan Michael\u003cbr\u003eLiner Photos by Marcus Mader\u003cbr\u003eLiner Notes by Joe Darling \u0026amp; Scott McNiece\u003cbr\u003eCover Design by Craig Hansen \u0026amp; Leah Ball\u003cbr\u003eLiner Design by Craig Hansen\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARCDE03 3xLP - Classic Black Vinyl","offer_id":52121006178578,"sku":"IA-IARCDE03LP","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARCDE03 3xLP - Smoky Bronze Colored Vinyl","offer_id":52121006211346,"sku":"IA-ITMD-ISBC","price":41.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARCDE03 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52121006244114,"sku":"IA-IARCDE03CD","price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARCDE03 Digital Download","offer_id":52121006276882,"sku":"IARCDE03","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARCDE03 Test Pressing","offer_id":52121006309650,"sku":"IARCDE03LP","price":75.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a1261532886_10.jpg?v=1774055858"},{"product_id":"makaya-mccraven-universal-beings-e-f-sides","title":"Makaya McCraven - Universal Beings E\u0026F Sides","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eAn addendum to Makaya McCraven's critically-acclaimed 2018 release Universal Beings, which The New York Times said \"affirms the drummer and beatsmith's position as a major figure in creative music,\" Universal Beings E\u0026amp;F Sides presents fourteen new pieces of organic beat music cut from the original sessions, prepared and produced by Makaya as a soundtrack to the Universal Beings documentary film.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDirected by Mark Pallman, the Universal Beings documentary follows Makaya to Los Angeles, Chicago, London and New York City for a behind the scenes look into the making of the artists breakthrough album, taking the viewer through the story of Makaya's life, his process and the community of musicians that helped bring this project to life. The Universal Beings documentary and Universal Beings E\u0026amp;F Sides album release July 31st 2020.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNamed one of the best albums of 2018 by The New York Times, Rolling Stone, NPR, Stereogum, Billboard, SPIN, The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, and more, Universal Beings was recorded at four sessions in New York, Chicago, London and Los Angeles, and features some of the best \"new\" jazz players from those hot bed cities: Brandee Younger, Tomeka Reid, Dezron\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eDouglas, Joel Ross, Shabaka Hutchings, Junius Paul, Nubya Garcia, Daniel Casimir, Ashley Henry, Josh Johnson, Jeff Parker, Anna Butters, Carlos Niño and Miguel-Atwood Ferguson - all of whom feature on Universal Beings E\u0026amp;F Sides.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased July 31, 2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTracks 1, 5 \u0026amp; 11 recorded August 29th, 2017, at H010 in Ridgewood, Queens, New York. Featuring:\u003cbr\u003eBrandee Younger - harp\u003cbr\u003eJoel Ross - vibraphone\u003cbr\u003eDezron Douglas - double bass\u003cbr\u003eMakaya McCraven - drums\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTracks 2 \u0026amp; 14 recorded October 18th, 2017, at Total Refreshment Centre in Stoke Newington, London, UK. Featuring:\u003cbr\u003eSoweto Kinch - saxophone\u003cbr\u003eKamaal Williams - keys\u003cbr\u003eMakaya McCraven - drums\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTracks 3 \u0026amp; 4 recorded October 19th, 2017, at Total Refreshment Studios in Stoke Newington, London, UK. Featuring:\u003cbr\u003eNubya Garcia - tenor saxophone\u003cbr\u003eAshley Henry* - rhodes piano\u003cbr\u003eDaniel Casimir - double bass\u003cbr\u003eMakaya McCraven - drums\u003cbr\u003e*Ashley Henry appears courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTracks 6, 12 \u0026amp; 13 recorded January 30th, 2018, at Jeff Parker's house in Altadena, California. Featuring:\u003cbr\u003eJosh Johnson - alto saxophone\u003cbr\u003eMiguel Atwood-Ferguson - violin\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - guitar\u003cbr\u003eAnna Butterss - double bass\u003cbr\u003eCarlos Niño - percussion\u003cbr\u003eMakaya McCraven - drums\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTrack 7 recorded June 18th, 2017, at Co-Prosperity Sphere in Bridgeport, Chicago, Illinois. Featuring:\u003cbr\u003eJunius Paul - double bass\u003cbr\u003eMakaya McCraven - drums\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTracks 8, 9 \u0026amp; 10 recorded September 2nd, 2017, at Co-Prosperity Sphere in Bridgeport, Chicago, Illinois. Featuring:\u003cbr\u003eShabaka Hutchings* - tenor saxophone\u003cbr\u003eTomeka Reid - cello\u003cbr\u003eJunius Paul - double bass, percussion\u003cbr\u003eMakaya McCraven - drums\u003cbr\u003e*Shabaka Hutchings appears courtesy of Verve Label Group\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded \u0026amp; Mixed by Dave Vettraino \u0026amp; David Allen.\u003cbr\u003eMastered by David Allen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCover Art by Damon Locks.\u003cbr\u003ePortrait by Sean Owens.\u003cbr\u003eDesign by Craig Hansen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Makaya McCraven.\u003cbr\u003eExecutive Production by Scott McNiece.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARCEF22 - Classic Black vinyl LP","offer_id":52121006801170,"sku":"IARCEF22LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARCEF22 - Pellucid Mahogany color vinyl LP","offer_id":52121006833938,"sku":"IA-UBEF-ICMC","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARCEF22 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52121006866706,"sku":"IA-IARCEF22CD","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARCEF22 Digital Download","offer_id":52121006899474,"sku":"IARCEF22","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARCEF22 Test Pressing","offer_id":52121006932242,"sku":"IARCEF022LP","price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a4180158321_10.jpg?v=1774060254"},{"product_id":"nick-mazzarella-trio-ultraviolet","title":"Nick Mazzarella Trio - Ultraviolet","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eChicago innovators elevate intuitive improvisation with artfully constructed themes in a thoughtful elaboration of formal free jazz.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased September 25, 2015\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNick Mazzarella - alto saxophone\u003cbr\u003eAnton Hatwich - bass\u003cbr\u003eFrank Rosaly - drums\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll compositions by Nick Mazzarella (BMI)\u003cbr\u003eRecorded and Mixed by Brian J Sulpizio\u003cbr\u003eMastered by Shelly Steffens\u003cbr\u003eArtwork by Damon Locks\u003cbr\u003eLayout by Craig Hansen\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Nick Mazzarella\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0005 LP - Classic Black Vinyl","offer_id":52121007161618,"sku":"789397832219","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0005 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52121007194386,"sku":"789397832226","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0005 Digital Download","offer_id":52121007227154,"sku":"IARC0005","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a0603541400_10.jpg?v=1774061362"},{"product_id":"rob-mazurek-exploding-star-orchestra-dimensional-stardust","title":"Rob Mazurek Exploding Star Orchestra - Dimensional Stardust","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eMarfa TX-based multidisciplinary abstractivist Rob Mazurek has made an indelible impact on creative music over the past 30 years. Emerging from the musical nexus of the 1990s Chicago scene, he’s written more than 400 compositions and is featured on more than 70 recordings (including International Anthem’s very first, IARC0001, \"Alternate Moon Cycles\"). He’s led or co-led many ensembles – including the Chicago Underground (Duo, Trio, Quartet \u0026amp; Orchestra), Isotope 217 (alongside members of Tortoise), Pharoah and the Underground (feat. Pharoah Sanders), Alien Flower Sutra (with Emmett Kelly), São Paulo Underground (his primary working group across his time in Brazil), and a duo with Jeff Parker – each of which possesses its own distinct musical personality.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhile Mazurek’s solo work as a musician expands from cornet, piano, and piccolo trumpet studies to embody musique concrete and electronic experimentation, his composition for large ensemble reveals an intuitive sense of scale. Commissioned by the Chicago Cultural Center and the Jazz Institute of Chicago in 2005 to assemble a group representing the diversity of the city’s contemporary avant-garde, Mazurek amassed a 14-piece ensemble and began composing music for what became his Exploding Star Orchestra (ESO)\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e. Including musicians from the often-segregated communities of Chicago’s North, South, and West sides – from his long-time collaborators in Tortoise’s expansive orbit, to Great Black Music luminaries from the hallowed AACM, to free jazz revivalists from the Umbrella Music group – ESO debuted in the urban epicenter of Chicago’s Millennium Park and, shortly after, went into John McEntire’s Soma Studios to record \"We Are All From Somewhere Else\" (Thrill Jockey, 2007). By the time of \"Galactic Parables Vol. 1,\" ESO’s 2015 triple LP release on Cuneiform Records, Mazurek reflected to Pop Matters that \"Exploding Star Orchestra is the conceptual, compositional and philosophical center of all my work... a life star of musical, visual and conceptual ideas.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 2018, JazzFest Berlin curator Nadin Deventer invited Mazurek to present a new iteration of ESO with musicians based in Berlin as well as Chicago. Meeting the commission with the boundless ambition characteristic of his artistic approach, he imagined a jubilee of fifteen musicians and improvisers, true to ESO’s ethos in their widely diverse backgrounds and voices, but more tightly arranged around his intricate compositions than ever before. Summoning an array of symphonic studies – from Béla Bartók to Morton Feldman to Gil Evans to Sun Ra to Pedro Santos to Bill Dixon to The Art Ensemble of Chicago – in an ecstatic and wholly original program, Mazurek’s November 2018 debut at Berliner Festspiele marked a new pinnacle in his distinction as a composer and conductor of Contemporary Music. “Mazurek’s arrangements burst in colors, making synesthetes of us all,” wrote Paul Acquaro in a review of the concert for Free Jazz Collective.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen Mazurek returned to Chicago in Summer 2019, International Anthem took the opportunity to capture his new ESO compositions with a cast of collaborators from their collective constellation of artists. Over a handful of studio dates between August 2019 and March 2020, Mazurek channeled his arrangements through 11 musicians – Nicole Mitchell, Jeff Parker, Jaimie Branch, Joel Ross, Mikel Patrick Avery, Tomeka Reid, Chad Taylor, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Macie Stewart, Angelica Sanchez, and John Herndon – and commissioned his long-time lyrical collaborator Damon Locks to draft original texts for each of the titles and record vocal tracks. After three months of rigorous post-production, editing and assembly work, in June 2020 Mazurek completed his culminating new collection of ESO recordings: \"Dimensional Stardust.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Dimensional Stardust\" showcases the intricacy and complexity of Mazurek’s compositions but in their most potent, most compacted forms. Opting to focus on tight ensemble orchestration over passages of open improvisation, Mazurek distills a maximal orchestra of explosive improvisers into a beautifully restrained, graceful group exercise in melodic minimalism. The album features almost no “soloist” moments, excepting Jeff Parker’s other-worldy guitar meltdown on “The Careening Prism Within,” and when Nicole Mitchell’s flute floats to the front of the barrage on “Sun Core Tet.” Mazurek himself is sparsely present as instrumentalist, only occasionally joining the ensemble with his piccolo trumpet (notably on “Parable 3000,” where he shares leads with Mitchell’s flute and Joel Ross’s vibraphone, and his trills and textures haunt ghostly around Jaimie Branch’s trumpet counterpoint). Even Damon Locks’s voice is employed more like an ensemble instrument than a lead vocalist. Locks’ distinctively dry, abstract narrative flow beams in intermittently – sounding almost like fragments of Deltron 3030 through an Orson Wells-style radio transmission – climaxing in the album-closing poetry of “Autumn Pleiades.” And all the way through, the electro-acoustic poly-rhythmic percussion section (Chad Taylor, Mikel Patrick Avery, and John Herndon) churns, thrusting the music forward as the harmonic instruments collectively bow between frenzied, futurist chromaticism and soaring, pan-humanist pentatonic anthems.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSomehow swirling the most adventurous elements of avant-garde jazz and contemporary classical into the most universal attractors of pop music, the cosmic opera of \"Dimensional Stardust\" is a pure spiritual extension of Exploding Star Orchestra’s unifying ethos, and a new peak in the prolific creative career of Rob Mazurek.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e***\"Dimensional Stardust\" is the second album co-released by the North \u0026amp; South American partnership of International Anthem \u0026amp; Nonesuch Records, following Jeff Parker's early 2020 release, \"Suite For Max Brown.\" International Anthem \u0026amp; Nonesuch Records are slated to co-release at least 6 titles over 3 years, details on future albums TBA. Outside of North and South America, these albums are marketed \u0026amp; distributed by K7 Records.***\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased November 20, 2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRob Mazurek - director, composer, piccolo trumpet, electronic renderings, modular synth\u003cbr\u003eDamon Locks - voice, electronics, texts\u003cbr\u003eNicole Mitchell - flutes\u003cbr\u003eMacie Stewart - violins\u003cbr\u003eTomeka Reid - cellos\u003cbr\u003eJoel Ross - vibraphone\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - guitar\u003cbr\u003eJaimie Branch - trumpet\u003cbr\u003eAngelica Sanchez - acoustic piano, electric piano\u003cbr\u003eIngebrigt Håker Flaten - bass\u003cbr\u003eChad Taylor - drums, percussion\u003cbr\u003eMikel Patrick Avery - drums, percussion\u003cbr\u003eJohn Herndon - drum machines\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll Music and Titles by Rob Mazurek (OLHO, ASCAP).\u003cbr\u003eWords by Damon Locks.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEngineered, Recorded \u0026amp; Mixed by David Allen \u0026amp; Dave Vettraino.\u003cbr\u003eAdditional Recording by Nicole Mitchell, Mikel Patrick Avery, John Herndon \u0026amp; Rob Mazurek.\u003cbr\u003eEdited by Dave Vettraino.\u003cbr\u003eMastered by Dave Cooley.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCover Painting by Rob Mazurek (“Some Other Time” 2020).\u003cbr\u003ePrints by Rob Mazurek with technical assistance by Mathieu Constans.\u003cbr\u003ePackage Design by Craig Hansen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Scott McNiece, David Allen, Dave Vettraino \u0026amp; Rob Mazurek.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"info license\" id=\"license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0036 - Classic Black vinyl LP","offer_id":52121008636178,"sku":"IARC0036LP","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0036 - Limited Edition *Moon Dust* color vinyl LP","offer_id":52121008668946,"sku":"IA-DS-IMCV","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0036 - Compact Disc","offer_id":52121008701714,"sku":"IARC0036CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0036 Digital Download","offer_id":52121008734482,"sku":"IARC0036","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a0966569723_10.jpg?v=1773615347"},{"product_id":"ruth-goller-skyllumina","title":"Ruth Goller - SKYLLUMINA","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eSKYLLUMINA represents a new evolution of London-based, Italian-born composer, bassist, and vocalist Ruth Goller.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGoller is known for her bass and vocal work with Alabaster DePlume, whose music she elevates in live contexts with her genre-less improvisational intuition. She's also known for work with Bex Burch's Vula Viel, whose DIY label released Goller's solo debut Skylla in 2021. And she is known to creative musicians far and wide, with an incredibly diverse CV that includes performance and recording with Shabaka Hutchings, Rokia Traore, Melt Yourself Down, Sam Amidon, Damon Albarn, and many more.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eExpanding on the wholly original sound Goller established with her solo work on Skylla – i.e. compositions of detuned bass under a spectra of soprano voices she arranged and overdubbed herself – SKYLLUMINA complicates matters as she augments every piece with a different drummer. “As a bass-player, I love playing with drummers and I decided to focus on my close connection to that instrument and to the amazing people I met in my life who play it,” says Goller. Her accompanists on the album include International Anthem labelmates Bex Burch, Tom Skinner, and Frank Rosaly, as well as prolific British player Sebastian Rochford and longtime Vula Viel\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ecollaborator Jim Hart. But more importantly: this music is an immersive hyperfocus for Goller and her patently distinct, singular compositional vision.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSKYLLUMINA, despite its highly conceptual origins, is heavy with human emotion. Its dark washes of melody and contrapuntal percussion could fit easily into a mixtape with indie downbeat \/ ennui royalty like Grouper or Low, while also being right at home next a Cage-Tudor prepared piano piece. And the piercing, sibilant ice age siren song heard in Goller's powerfully feminine vocal arrangements find her in an otherworld only occasionally inhabited by the likes of Björk and The Knife.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGoller says: “This record is deep insight into my soul and my recent life. It’s coming through a meteor storm and grasping the first light... out of a very unexpected tumultuous time... there are feelings of grief, loss, hope, purest of love, connection to my home, death, and new configurations... as well as self-discovery.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased March 1, 2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e01) Below my skin\u003cbr\u003eTom Skinner: drums and electronics. Ruth Goller: electric bass and vocals.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e02) Reach down into the deepest white\u003cbr\u003eMark Sanders: drums. Ruth Goller: electric bass and vocals.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e03) Of Snowhere\u003cbr\u003eMark Sanders: drums. Jim Hart: vibraphone. Ruth Goller: double bass\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e04) Next time I keep my hands down\u003cbr\u003eJim Hart: vibraphone and drums. Ruth Goller: electric bass, double bass and vocals.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e05) All the light I have, I hand to you\u003cbr\u003eMax Andrzejewski: drums. Ruth Goller: electric bass and vocals\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e06) She was my own she was myself\u003cbr\u003eBex Burch: sanza and llimba. Ruth Goller: double bass and vocals.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e07) How to be free from it\u003cbr\u003eEmanuele Maniscalco: drums. Ruth Goller: electric bass, double bass and vocals.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e08) From breaks to shreds it’s a short path\u003cbr\u003eSebastian Rochford: drums. Lauren Kinsella: vocals. Ruth Goller: electric bass and vocals.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e09) Don’t follow me\u003cbr\u003eWill Glaser: gongs. Ruth Goller: electric bass and vocals.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e10) I have for you - simple truth\u003cbr\u003eFrank Rosaly: drums and percussion. Ruth Goller: electric bass, double bass and vocals.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll music composed and produced by Ruth Goller.\u003cbr\u003eMixed by Dave Vettraino.\u003cbr\u003eMastered by David Allen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMasks by\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca rel=\"nofollow ugc\" href=\"http:\/\/wintercroft.com\/\"\u003ewintercroft.com\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003eArtwork by Zak Watson\u003cbr\u003ePoem by Alabaster DePlume\u003cbr\u003eDesign by Craig Hansen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThank you: Scottie McNiece, Dave Vettraino, David Allen, Alejandro Ayala and everyone at International Anthem, Alice Grant, Lauren Kinsella and all the amazing musicians who have contributed to this record, Bex Burch and Vula Viel records, Barbara, Peter, Pedro Velasco and Nell Greco.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"info license\" id=\"license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0078 Classic Black vinyl LP","offer_id":52121008996626,"sku":"IARC0078LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0078 Limited Edition *Sunrise of Mine* Color vinyl","offer_id":52121009029394,"sku":"IARC0078LPI","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0078 Compact Disc","offer_id":52121009062162,"sku":"IARC0078CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0078 Digital Download","offer_id":52121009094930,"sku":"IARC0078","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a0042990498_10.jpg?v=1773615122"},{"product_id":"saul-williams-carlos-nino-friends-saul-williams-meets-carlos-nino-friends-at-treepeople","title":"Saul Williams, Carlos Niño \u0026 Friends - Saul Williams meets Carlos Niño \u0026 Friends at TreePeople","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eLand Back!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn unadulterated opening statement intoned by Saul Williams three times, as he joins Carlos Niño \u0026amp; Friends in sound ceremony underneath oak and black walnut trees in Coldwater Canyon Park, Los Angeles, on December 18, 2024.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe performance, which was organized by Noah Klein of Living Earth on the grounds of longstanding conservationist organization TreePeople, was the first of its kind for longtime friends and collaborators Williams and Niño. The two have been in contact since 1997 and have worked on a variety of projects together, but had never been moved to present in this way. For the occasion, Niño assembled and directed an ensemble of frequent collaborators including Nate Mercereau (Guitar Synthesizer, Live Sampling with Midi Guitar, Sample Sources), Aaron Shaw (Flute, Soprano Saxophone with Pedals, Tenor Saxophone), Andres Renteria (Bells, Congas, Egyptian Rattle Drum, Hand Drums, Percussion), Maia (Flute, Vibraphone, Voice), Francesca Heart (Computer, Conch Shell, Sound Design), and Kamasi Washington (Tenor Saxophone).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWilliams’ inspired poetics both fit seamlessly and guide clairvoyantly the electro-acoustic ecosystem created by Niño \u0026amp;\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eFriends – a constellation of deep connections and intersecting linkups from complementary sound makers. There’s the dialogue between not just Niño \u0026amp; Williams but Niño and Renteria’s reciprocal percussions; the intergenerational woodwind counterpoint between Washington and Shaw; the hovering harmonics of Maia’s vibraphone in aerial resonance with Heart’s digital designs. Heart’s sounds also make a beautiful analogue to synth-guitarist Nate Mercereau, whose live sampling and manipulation techniques turn fleeting moments of sonic presence into musical architecture in real time. Deepening the dimensionality of this constellation, Mercereau and Niño are several years into a shared musical simpatico that has yielded dozens of powerful collaborations, making their particular interaction on this recording as spiritual and transcendent as it is subtle and implicit. And there is yet another connection to be highlighted still.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLate in the set, Williams shares an extended reflection on the Dutch East India Trade Company, the indigenous Lenape people on the island of Manahatta, the origins of Wall Street, and a prayer for the end of empire as he incites an epic crescendo from the ensemble, swirling behind the twin winds of Shaw and Washington, spirited by his repeated call “I’ve seen enough.” The smoke has only begun to clear from this emotional apex as Williams passes the torch to poet Aja Monet, who arrests the atmosphere with a soft apocalyptic reading of a piece from her notebook, “The Water Is Rising.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs Monet finishes her poem and steps aside, Williams follows her foreboding words with a solemnly hopeful return – closing the ceremony with a parable about a firing squad, where one member's dilemma is a \"system of belief\" allowing for humanity in the heart of an oppressor.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased August 28, 2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSaul Williams - Voice, Words, Shaker\u003cbr\u003eCarlos Niño - Bells, Chimes, Cymbals, Surdo Bass Drum, Floor Tom Drum, Gong, Mexican Ceramic Aerophones, Percussion, Rattles, Shakers, Voice, Whistles . . .\u003cbr\u003eNate Mercereau - Guitar Synthesizer, Live Sampling with Midi Guitar, Sample Sources\u003cbr\u003eAaron Shaw - Flute, Soprano Saxophone with Pedals, Tenor Saxophone\u003cbr\u003eAndres Renteria - Bells, Congas, Egyptian Rattle Drum, Hand Drums, Percussion\u003cbr\u003eMaia The Artiste - Flute, Vibraphone, Voice\u003cbr\u003eFrancesca Heart - Computer, Conch Shell, Sound Design\u003cbr\u003eKamasi Washington - Tenor Saxophone\u003cbr\u003e*aja monet - Voice, Poetry (on 4.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Carlos Niño\u003cbr\u003eConcert Presented by Noah Klein and Living Earth LA\u003cbr\u003eConcert Sound by Adrian Garcia-Romano\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded by Ken Barrientos at TreePeople,\u003cbr\u003eLos Angeles, California, Wednesday, December 18, 2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMixed by Dave Vettraino\u003cbr\u003eMastered by David Allen\u003cbr\u003eFront \u0026amp; Back Cover Photos by Todd Weaver\u003cbr\u003eInsert Photos by Sam Lee, Adam Corey Thomas, and Hop Nguyen.\u003cbr\u003eLiner Notes by Mama Claudia Udy, Haize Hawke, Noah Klein, Sham-e-Ali\u003cbr\u003eNayeem, Def Sound, and Dee Barnes\u003cbr\u003eDesign by Aaron Lowell Denton\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e*aja monet appears courtesy of drink sum wtr\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0102 Classic Black vinyl LP","offer_id":52121009127698,"sku":"IARC0102LP","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0102 Limited *Forest Edition* Color Vinyl","offer_id":52121009160466,"sku":"IARC0102LPI","price":37.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0102 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52121009193234,"sku":"IARC0102CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0102 Digital Download","offer_id":52121009226002,"sku":"IARC0102","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a3315149564_10.jpg?v=1773615073"},{"product_id":"tom-skinner-kaleidoscopic-visions","title":"Tom Skinner - Kaleidoscopic Visions","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eAlbum Notes by Piotr Orlov:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePopular sociology cliches notwithstanding, the middle years are a curious bridge to survey one’s life from. Especially for artists. The bank behind is a backlog of experience, for-better-or-worse perceptions of how the world works, unequal measures of laurels and regrets, plus a rolodex of dear ones (for the lucky) and lost ones (for all). The shore in front contains a shorter winding road (still loaded with possibilities if not quite as open-ended), informed by wisdom gained and failures seared, shadowed by mortality, responsibility and inevitability. Lots of water passes under this bridge of mid-life. For creative types—adept at listening to the tides, recognizing their flow as a circadian rhythm, reconciling the planet’s clock with their own—the view from this bridge has been known to inspire great art.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUpon the release of Kaleidoscopic Visions, the second album that Tom Skinner has made under his own name, the drummer-composer will be 45 years-old. Skinner is already in possession of an incredible career—two decades as a key member of London’s jazz community, including co-founding the mighty Sons of Kemet; in-demand collaborator to a who’s-who of famed electronic producers and noted rhythmalists; purveyor of his own left-of-center musical pursuits\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(see: Hello Skinny); and, most recently, a budding experimental-rock star (see: The Smile). Off-the-clock, Skinner is a life-long Londoner, husband and father, keeper of poly-generational sonic memories, a soulful creature attuned to old and new relationships.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Kaleidoscopic Visions that form Skinner’s view from the bridge between his past and future take all these roles and details into account. Where on his bandleader debut, 2022’s star-studded quintet piece Voices of Bishara, Skinner used Abdul Wadud's 1978 solo cello masterpiece By Myself as inspiration for an album of post-session edits; Kaleidoscopic Visions leans into “more personal,” fully composed pieces, interpreted by his band’s improvised choices, a timeline of life reconciled in his creative subconscious.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLike classic LPs of yore, Kaleidoscopic Visions is composed of distinct but overlapping sonic strategies to narrate Skinner’s journey. On the entirely instrumental Side A, he orchestrates a gorgeous song-cycle, artfully illuminated by the live Bishara band—bassist Tom Herbert, cellist Kareem Dayes, plus Robert Stillman and Chelsea Carmichael on various woodwinds and reeds—plus the occasional electric guitar of Portishead’s Adrian Utley. Skinner says the floating often-backbeat-free music was composed by following his “instinct and intuition,” written mostly on guitar, an instrument that is secondary to him (“When I play it, I don’t really know what I’m doing”), but one he finds to be a “productive compositional tool.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA meditative atmosphere encircles the dodecaphonic precision of his writing, refreshed by Stillman and Carmichael’s interwoven airy harmonies. Dayes’ cello and Herbert’s bass underpin the melodic figures, harkening somewhat to the “naturally flowing composites” sound of Bishara. Yet the music’s emotional intentions seem a world away from its predecessor, a product of listening less to outside inspiration, than to one’s internal insights. “Auster” is dedicated to the late novelist Paul Auster, whose words on life’s chance-based developments inform the album’s interpretive process (how, for instance, Stillman’s soprano saxophone illuminates a line Skinner wrote on the guitar). More poignant is “Margaret Anne,” a rhythmically taut piece honoring Skinner’s mother (very much alive), the former concert-piano prodigy Anne Shasby. She abandoned a promising career for her family, largely due to the misogyny of the classical music establishment’s glass ceiling. Yet according to Skinner, Anne also imparted upon him “the gift of music,” and claims her sensibilities, especially her ear for piano music, pervade his compositions. Lived experiences that shade this kaleidoscope’s palette.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe vocal features occupying Side B double-down on the album’s consideration of time, both literally and circumstantially. Most of all, “The Maxim,” Skinner’s collaboration with Meshell Ndegeocello. A dubby, spacious, nearly ten-minute incantation on human existence, addressing birth and death in one breath (“we are here, soon to return home”), the song frames blues-spiritual stanzas in an astral light, bringing the Grammy Award-winning singer-bassist’s (recently unstoppable) historical gaze to the album’s storyline. It also raises a full-circle moment for Skinner, whose album plays host to an artist he travelled to see at Glastonbury as a teenager in 1994, whom he’s now befriended and been playing with over the past year. (Imagine that feeling!) “I was asking quite a lot of her,” says Skinner of the long-distance back-and-forth that animated “The Maxim,” “and I feel what she’s done to that song is quite astounding.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Logue” is an abstract pastoral on which young South Carolina-based singer Contour (Khari Lucas) applies his heavenly tenor to a lush harmonic bed of winds, keys and strings, while Utley adds stunning distorted guitar work. The song feels like an ambient soul koan. Then comes the album’s denouement. Though younger than Skinner, keyboardist-vocalist-wordsmith Jonathan “Yaffra” Geyevu is also member of the London working-musicians community; and his perspective on the grind and often-self-inflicted dark side of living in the metropolis fuels the closing “See How They Run.” Delivered over a spare, minimalist track that Yaffra and Skinner constructed in the studio, the words sound like a resignation, “the time starts spinning back \/ this could be forever \/ could you check?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt’s the kind of conscious wisecrack you might mutter quietly to dispel the self-reflection, walking off the bridge towards whatever happens next. A recognition of the moment’s resonance. Almost accidentally (but not really), Tom Skinner’s Kaleidoscopic Visions chronicles the importance of considering the view from the middle of one’s own life, taking stock alongside memories and family, heroes and friends new and old. Its beauty is not extreme but expert, outside of crisis but informed by it, a document of what the feelings, here and now, sound like.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased September 26, 2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePerformed by:\u003cbr\u003eTom Skinner - drums, percussion, vibraphone, electric guitar, 6 and 12 string acoustic guitars, synths, piano, drum machine, FX and processing\u003cbr\u003eTom Herbert - electric bass, acoustic bass\u003cbr\u003eRobert Stillman – bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone\u003cbr\u003eChelsea Carmichael – tenor saxophone, flute\u003cbr\u003eKareem Dayes – cello\u003cbr\u003eAdrian Utley – electric guitar\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFeaturing:\u003cbr\u003eMeshell Ndegeocello – voice, clavinet, wurlitzer and bass synth\u003cbr\u003eContour – voice\u003cbr\u003eYaffra – voice, synths, piano\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eArtwork and creative direction by Paul Camo for Studio Camo\u003cbr\u003ePhotography by Jason Evans\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded by Dilip Harris and Antonio Feola at Fish Factory studios\u003cbr\u003eAdditional recording and overdubs at St Luke’s West Holloway\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Tom Skinner\u003cbr\u003eMixed by Dilip Harris at Mancrush Studios\u003cbr\u003eMastered by Guy Davie at Electric Mastering\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll music written and produced by Tom Skinner, published by Warp Publishing, except ‘The Maxim’ written by Tom Skinner and Meshell Ndegeocello, published by BMI, administered by BMG, 'Logue’ written by Tom Skinner and Khari Lucas, published by BMI, ‘See How They Run’ written by Tom Skinner and Jonathan Geyevu, Copyright Control\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMeshell Ndegeocello appears courtesy of Blue Note Records\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThanks to:\u003cbr\u003eRobert, Tom, Chelsea and Kareem\u003cbr\u003eMeshell, Abe, Chris and Alison\u003cbr\u003eKhari, Jonathan and Adrian\u003cbr\u003eDilip, Tonino and Guy\u003cbr\u003ePaul, Jason and Sam\u003cbr\u003eFran, Caius and Mark\u003cbr\u003eCarol, Jess, Dan, Victoria and all at Solar Management\u003cbr\u003eGilles, Emily, Sandra, Valentine and all at Brownswood\u003cbr\u003eScottie, David A, Hippo, Dave V, David B and all at International Anthem\u003cbr\u003eKay, Guillaume, Emily, Nadine and all at Warp Publishing\u003cbr\u003eNicole, James and Piotr. Thomas, Maxime and all at JAW Family.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor Gudrun, Stan, Arthur and Leonard.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0104 Classic Black Vinyl","offer_id":52121009553682,"sku":"IARC0104LP","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0104 Limited Edition Yellow Vinyl","offer_id":52121009586450,"sku":"IARC0104LPI","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0104 Compact Disc","offer_id":52121009619218,"sku":"IARC0104CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0104 Digital Download","offer_id":52121009651986,"sku":"IARC0104","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a0871141679_10.jpg?v=1773615047"},{"product_id":"daniel-villarreal-panama-77","title":"Daniel Villarreal - Panamá 77","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003ePanamá 77 – a vibrant and verdant suite of multi-textural, jazz-laced psychedelic instrumental folk-funk – is the debut album by Panamá-born, Chicago-based drummer and DJ Daniel Villarreal.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThough it’s a debut work in the eyes of the world, Villarreal has long been a widely known and beloved character on the Chicago music scene. On almost any night of the week, you’ll find him DJing at atleast one spot on bustling 18th Street in his home neighborhood of Pilsen. (The decadent track “18th \u0026amp; Morgan” is an homage to that strip, with its lowrider meets Roy Ayers vibe, vividly depicting Villarreal’s daily life driving to a gig in his classic baby-blue Mercedes sedan, wearing a beaver-skin Stetson and tinted aviators.) If he’s not there, he’s playing drums with Dos Santos, Valebol, The Los Sundowns or Ida y Vuelta (all bands he co-leads), or sitting in with Wild Belle or Rudy De Anda.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eVillarreal may be most known for his big style and magnetic personality, but to musicians on the scene, it’s as much for his talents as a malleable and reliable drummer, with a deep pocket in many styles and sounds. Through Dos Santos and Ida y Vuelta, he’s demonstrated a range of knowledge and skill in various stripes of folkloric Latin music; but, ironically, he didn’t\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ereally play traditional Latin music until he moved to the States from his hometown Panamá City. His deepest roots in drumming are from the progressive punk and hardcore scenes of Central America, where his bands NOHAYDIA and 2 Huevos 1 Camino were active in the late 90s. Those formative experiences are the foundation of his career in music.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter his teen years thrashing on the punk scene, Villarreal started a life-changing tutelage with Freddy Sobers, the drummer of El General and Nando Boom (both known for pioneering reggaeton music in Panamá). “He taught me how to play all kinds of rhythms and told me I didn’t have to just play punk music,” Villarreal told the Chicago Reader in 2021. “He played everything from Rush to reggaeton to Chick Corea to salsa music… He told me if I wanted to be a good drummer, I had to learn all the styles. He took me under his wing, and I learned a lot from him.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eVillarreal evokes another Panamanian legend in “Patria,” a tribute to the organist and composer Avelino Muñoz. “My father, who also played the organ, used to listen to him growing up. I was always curious about its haunted sound. This recording is a total obeisance to Muñoz, my father and my country.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eVillarreal migrated to the US in the early 2000s. His first decade was spent living on a farm near Woodstock, Illinois, where he was a social worker, connecting migrant laborers with community health clinics. He also spent that time raising his two daughters, Estelle and Fania. But all his spare time went to nurturing his passion for drums. As he found more collaborators, played more gigs and became more embedded in the music community, in the early 2010s he moved down the highway into the City of Chicago, determined to grind it out as a full-time musician.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter another decade of non-stop sideman work, which included the growing national awareness and success of Dos Santos, Villarreal began to imagine what his own solo record could be. A handful of studio experiments in 2017 and 2018 got him close to the sound in his mind, but it wasn’t until he traveled to Los Angeles for a gig in 2019 that he caught a lasting spark. A simple stereo recording of Villarreal improvising with a first-time ensemble of friends – including Elliot Bergman, Jeff Parker, Kellen Harrison, and Bardo Martinez – inspired him to go into album-forming mode. The songs “Bella Vista” and “Activo” are excerpts from that first session, with added layers of auxiliary percussion, edited and shaped by Villarreal with engineer Dave Vettraino.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs Villarreal and Vettraino dove into post-production, the need for more material to fill out the album became clear, so more sessions were scheduled with players from Villareal’s and International Anthem’s shared circles. Guitarist Nathan Karagianis, who also plays with Dos Santos, joined them at Jamdek Studios in Chicago along with organist Cole DeGenova, and bassist Gordon Walters. In Los Angeles at Chicali Outpost (aka the garden behind International Anthem co-founder Scottie McNiece’s home), Villarreal recorded again with Bardo Martinez on bass and synths, Kyle Davis on keyboards, Anna Butterss on bass, and Jeff Parker, again, on guitar.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Chicali Outpost session was recorded by engineer Ben Lumsdaine outdoors in open air, mainly because of safety precautions (it was in October 2020, and even the smallest of gatherings were still rare then), but also because the climate and context of the garden was ripe for music-making. One of the most electric tunes from that session is “Uncanny,” a psychedelic funk dub with spacey William Onyeabor-style synths. Villarreal recalls that “we were jamming in Bardo's little garage studio the night before we did the recording at Scottie’s house. I remember starting the main groove and Bardo jumping in with a wacky bass line. We celebrated how weird it was even though we weren't playing the same groove together, it came out in a strange, wonderful way that surprised us.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnother highlight from those recordings is “In\/On.” The base track is built around an improvisation by Villarreal, Butterss, and Parker, which was one of the first bits of music the three of them made together. It was also one of the first times Parker had played in person with other musicians in the almost 6 months since the pandemic began, and the joy of collective improvisation can be felt emanating from every note he plays. As Villarreal describes it, “for me, the song is about how we are all IN and ON. As if we are about to start something so you walk in and turn an ON switch. No one knows what's going to happen after that but we are all into it. We are all IN. I also think it’s a fun reference because in Spanish there is only one word - ‘en’ - for both of those English words ‘in’ and ‘on’.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eVillarreal spent much of 2021 adding layers of percussion, editing and piecing the music together with Vettraino at International Anthem studios in Chicago. Other additions made in the final stages included Aquiles Navarro (of Irreversible Entanglements), who recorded horns for “Uncanny” at his family’s home in Panamá. Marta Sofia Honer wrote string arrangements and recorded a Curtis Mayfield-style symphony of violins and violas for “Cali Colors” and “18th \u0026amp; Morgan.” And back in LA for a final overdub session at Martinez’s garage studio, Villarreal and Martinez added backing vocals and synths to “Uncanny,” and even more synths to “18th \u0026amp; Morgan” and “Parque En Seis.” As the album took its final form, Villarreal named the collection Panamá 77, an homage to his birth place and year.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eVillarreal says: “This album is an affirmation of both my origin story and who I am today. I see my life and my music as a collaboration of improvisation and intention all in the spirit of community and joy.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003ereleased May 20, 2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e01) Bella Vista\u003cbr\u003eComposed by Elliot Bergman, Kellen Harrison, Jeff Parker, and Daniel Villarreal. Recorded by Kellen Harrison on February 7th, 2019, at Freehand Hotel, Los Angeles, CA.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDaniel Villarreal - drumkit, bells, congas, handclaps\u003cbr\u003eKellen Harrison - bass guitar\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - electric guitar\u003cbr\u003eElliot Bergman - baritone saxophone\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e02) Ofelia\u003cbr\u003eComposed by Cole DeGenova and Daniel Villarreal. Recorded by Doug Malone on September 13th, 2020, at JAMDEK, Chicago, IL.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDaniel Villarreal - drumkit, donkey jaw, congas\u003cbr\u003eCole DeGenova - organ, farfisa, mellotron\u003cbr\u003eGordon Walters - bass guitar\u003cbr\u003eNathan Karagianis - electric guitar\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e03) Uncanny\u003cbr\u003eComposed by Kyle Davis, Bardo Martinez, and Daniel Villarreal. Recorded by Ben Lumsdaine on October 13th, 2020, at Chicali Outpost, Los Angeles, CA.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDaniel Villarreal - drumkit, congas, shakers, vocals\u003cbr\u003eBardo Martinez - bass guitar, synthesizers, electric guitar, vocals\u003cbr\u003eKyle Davis - rhodes piano\u003cbr\u003eAquiles Navarro - trumpets\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e04) I Didn’t Expect That\u003cbr\u003eComposed by Anna Butterss, Jeff Parker, and Daniel Villarreal. Recorded by Ben Lumsdaine on October 16th, 2020, at Chicali Outpost, Los Angeles, CA.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDaniel Villarreal - drumkit\u003cbr\u003eAnna Butterss - double bass\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - electric guitar\u003cbr\u003eCole DeGenova - hammond organ\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e05) In\/On\u003cbr\u003eComposed by Anna Butterss, Jeff Parker, and Daniel Villarreal. Recorded by Ben Lumsdaine on October 15th, 2020, at Chicali Outpost, Los Angeles, CA.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDaniel Villarreal - drumkit, bells, shakers, congas Anna Butters - bass guitar\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - electric guitar\u003cbr\u003eDave Vettraino - air organ\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e06) Cali Colors\u003cbr\u003eComposed by Anna Butterss, Jeff Parker, and Daniel Villarreal. Recorded by Ben Lumsdaine on October 16th, 2020, at Chicali Outpost, Los Angeles, CA. String Arrangements by Marta Sofia Honer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDaniel Villarreal - drumkit, bells, shakers\u003cbr\u003eAnna Butterss - double bass\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - electric guitar\u003cbr\u003eMarta Sofia Honer - violin \u0026amp; viola\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e07) Activo\u003cbr\u003eComposed by Elliot Bergman, Bardo Martinez, Jeff Parker, and Daniel Villarreal. Recorded by Kellen Harrison on February 7th, 2019, at Freehand Hotel, Los Angeles, CA.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDaniel Villarreal - drumkit, tambourine, shaker\u003cbr\u003eElliot Bergman - electric kalimba\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - electric guitar\u003cbr\u003eBardo Martinez - bass guitar\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e08) Sombras\u003cbr\u003eComposed by Anna Butterss, Jeff Parker, and Daniel Villarreal. Recorded by Ben Lumsdaine on October 16th, 2020, at Chicali Outpost, Los Angeles, CA.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDaniel Villarreal - drumkit, congas, shells, tambourine Anna Butterss - double bass\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - electric guitar\u003cbr\u003eCole DeGenova - farfisa\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e09) Parque En Seis\u003cbr\u003eComposed by Kyle Davis, Bardo Martinez, and Daniel Villarreal. Recorded by Ben Lumsdaine on October 13th, 2020, at Chicali Outpost, Los Angeles, CA.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDaniel Villarreal - drumkit, congas, bells\u003cbr\u003eKyle Davis - rhodes piano, bells\u003cbr\u003eBardo Martinez - bass guitar, synthesizers, bells\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e10) Patria\u003cbr\u003eComposed by Avelino Muñoz. Recorded by Doug Malone on September 13th, 2020, at JAMDEK, Chicago, IL.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDaniel Villarreal - drumkit\u003cbr\u003eCole DeGenova - organ\u003cbr\u003eGordon Walters - bass guitar\u003cbr\u003eNathan Karagianis - electric guitar\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e11) 18th \u0026amp; Morgan\u003cbr\u003eComposed by Kyle Davis, Bardo Martinez, and Daniel Villarreal. Recorded by Ben Lumsdaine on October 13th, 2020, at Chicali Outpost, Los Angeles, CA. String Arrangements by Marta Sofia Honer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDaniel Villarreal - drumkit, bongos\u003cbr\u003eKyle Davis - rhodes piano, synthesizers\u003cbr\u003eBardo Martinez - bass guitar, synthesizers\u003cbr\u003eMarta Sofia Honer - viola \u0026amp; violin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e12) Messenger\u003cbr\u003eComposed by Anna Butterss, Jeff Parker, and Daniel Villarreal. Recorded by Ben Lumsdaine on October 16th, 2020, at Chicali Outpost, Los Angeles, CA.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDaniel Villarreal - drumkit, congas, claves\u003cbr\u003eAnna Butterss - double bass\u003cbr\u003eJeff Parker - electric guitar\u003cbr\u003eAquiles Navarro - whistles\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIARC0054 album credits:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProduced by: Daniel Villarreal, Dave Vettraino \u0026amp; Scott McNiece.\u003cbr\u003eRecorded by: Ben Lumsdaine, Doug Malone, Kellen Harrison, Dave Vettraino, Bardo Martinez, Marta Sofia Honer, Aquiles Navarro, and Regina Martinez.\u003cbr\u003eEdited \u0026amp; Mixed by: Dave Vettraino \u0026amp; Daniel Villarreal.\u003cbr\u003eMastered by: David Allen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFront Cover Photo by: Ariana Lebedev.\u003cbr\u003eBack Cover Photo by: Carolina Sánchez.\u003cbr\u003eTitles by: Natalie Miller.\u003cbr\u003eInsert Photos by: Ariana Lebedev \u0026amp; Carolina Sánchez.\u003cbr\u003eLayout \u0026amp; Insert Design by: Craig Hansen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis album is dedicated to the memory of my grandmother Ofelia De León, “Abuela Fella.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThank you to my daughters Estelle \u0026amp; Fania Villarreal, Emily Stock, my father Daniel Villarreal and mother Ana Cecilia de Villarreal, Francesca Reinisch, Scottie McNiece, Jamie Gray, Alex Chavez, Beto Martinez, Chet Zenor, Brian Seyler, and everyone at the International Anthem warehouse.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0054 LP - Classic Black vinyl","offer_id":52121236209938,"sku":"IARC0054LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC054 LP - Limited Edition Baby Blue color vinyl","offer_id":52121236275474,"sku":"IARC0054LPBB","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0054 LP - Polyrhythmic Polaroid color vinyl","offer_id":52121236242706,"sku":"IARC0054LPS","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0054 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52121236308242,"sku":"IARC0054CD","price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0054 Digital Download","offer_id":52121236341010,"sku":"IARC0054","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a3339571584_10.jpg?v=1773614811"},{"product_id":"jeff-parker-eta-ivtet-happy-today","title":"Jeff Parker ETA IVtet - Happy Today","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProduct Description:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHappy Today\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e the third album from guitarist\/bandleader \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJeff Parker\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e’s long-running \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eETA IVtet\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, was recorded live at \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLodge Room\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e in Los Angeles on August 20, 2025. This fresh entry into the IVtet’s catalog captures Parker and the band – including drummer \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay Bellerose\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, bassist \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnna Butterss\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and saxophonist \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJosh Johnson\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e – on record outside of the now-shuttered Highland Park micro-club ETA for the first time. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe performance also captures a distinctly joyful night of togetherness set against the backdrop of dark times. “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e2025 was a very difficult year for me and my family,” Parker says. “Dealing with being displaced from the Eaton fires for eight months, and the kind of toll that that instability took on my family’s mental health and general outlook, coupled with Donald Trump being back in office and basically making life miserable for everyone… There was a lot of sadness and despair. But feeling the sense of community that we created with our concert, and later hearing the recording, seeing the beautiful footage that had been shot and the photographs of such joy to be back in that space and to be making music again: It was a very happy moment. So I called the record \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHappy Today\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. It’s meant to be a statement of joy.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThat joy and camaraderie found in communal space seems to be a major catalyst for the ETA IVtet’s music. The band’s audience is, somehow, an essential part of the formula. Case in point: the show at Lodge Room was actually meant to be the cherry on top of a weekend of studio sessions by the band. Those sessions were intended to be the next album released by the group, its first ever studio record. Upon listening back, though, it was clear to Parker that the Lodge Room performance was the recording that shined brightest and felt most true to the band’s spirit, harkening back to the weekly session the four musicians held at ETA for so many years.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eETA was undoubtedly more than just the namesake of the band. Part laboratory, part low-stakes proving ground, it’s where the language of the IVtet’s sound percolated and coalesced over the course of an almost mythical seven-year-long Monday night residency that yielded two critically-acclaimed records—2022’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMondays at The Enfield Tennis Academy\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and 2024’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Way Out of Easy\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e—and an instantly recognizable \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003egroup \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003esound.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHappy Today\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is that sound—the IVtet's signature syntax built around long-form, minimalist improvisation—expanding confidently into a larger space while creating the same hypnotizing, deeply-tuned listening effect on visibly enraptured audiences. The album contains two sidelong pieces recorded as the band performed in the round at Lodge Room, surrounded by an audience of 400 or so deep listeners. (The venue, appropriately enough, sits on the same street and just a few hundred feet away from the storefront that used to be ETA.) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe drastic change in venue size, and this document in general, is representative of an expanding demand to experience this band live that has been surging for years, starting with the release of their debut album \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMondays\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. For the subsequent, final year that ETA was open, there would typically be a line down the block on Monday evenings, with far more people trying to catch the show than the club could hold. Even if you \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ecould\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e get inside the building, given the limited capacity, the IVtet was a difficult band to \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eactually see\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e play. Couple that with the fact that before the closure of the club in December 2023, the IVtet had never played outside of Los Angeles. Access to the live experience had been extremely limited, and that has seemed to feed a sense of mystery and allure around the band’s music for the many fans of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMondays\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Way Out of Easy\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOn paper, the IVtet’s growing audience is something of a conundrum. After all, minimal longform improvisation is likely the precise antithesis of streaming-centered content culture. Despite that, at the show that produced \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHappy Today\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, as with any IVtet show, the audience willingly settles into and accepts the band’s pace as they iron out a story which digs deeply into every facet of an idea before investigating a new one. Here the attention economy feels lightyears away, the crowd instead surrendering to that old and very human penchant for \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003elistening\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. With open ears, the crowd stands ready for a big yarn, a long tale, and from the jump there seems to be a trust between performer and audience that mimics the trust between the musicians as they move from detail to detail. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“The band isn't afraid to explore static spaces,” says Parker. “It seems like the thing is to stay on one idea for a while. Really, for a long time. To kind of exhaust it. And then one person shifts and then the thing moves together.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Everybody is constantly dropping crumbs and you can take them or you can leave them,” agrees Bellerose. “There are these little hints, these little moments, and everybody's aware of them.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“When it \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eis\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e time to change, it can change \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003every quickly\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e,” says Butterss. “If someone suggests a new idea, it can flip in an instant. Everyone's constantly ready to go with it if the moment calls for it.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLike Swimwear\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e,” the side-length opener of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHappy Today\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, contains a quintessential example of this distinct IVtet move. The track gets off the ground slowly but deliberately, ramping up tension over the course of its first ten minutes without a moment of harmonic dissonance. The band, rather, steadily pulls at the corners of the rhythm. Here each member steps forward and backward in the sonic space to build a gleefully disorienting group cadence, where the repetitions of the individual overlap in such a trancelike way that even soloistic breaks from Parker’s electric guitar or Johnson’s effected alto sax never manage to snap the tension wire. Bellerose works deep into the rhythmic fascia, employing all manner of auxiliary percussion—strewn across his kit, tucked into his shoe, or wrapped around his legs—all without a hint of novelty. Every micro-choice comes from a place of both curiosity and confidence.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnd then the shift: just as the thing is about to come unglued Bellerose opts into a smooth, low-register downbeat groove that Butterss has been auditioning for the previous minute or so. Parker swiftly kicks into an organ-like drone while Johnson and Butterss stay the course. It’s a series of decisions that could go any number of ways depending on the night, like running water pushing into fresh geography, moving from tributary to mainstream, past the levee and into the floodplain. There is no set path; if it went a different direction it would still be the cumulative result of the same water flowing. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThat is to say that there are no hard and fast rules to what the IVtet does. Defining the music, in fact, is something that the band takes special care not to do. Living in that mystery, it seems, helps to keep the path open, cleared to push into new and satisfying territory.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“For me, the thing to protect is just where it started from, which was freedom and openness,” says Bellerose. “In the early days of the band Jeff was recognizing how we were all communicating within the structure of playing standards. He's one of the greatest producers I've ever worked with because he has this vision. And a big part of producing is casting—putting the right people in the room. So these shifts, they're completely natural within these improvised pieces that we do because the foundation was there and Jeff knew it. He had already noticed the communication within the band, but wanted to really push it further.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe key to Parker’s push lies in the generosity to step back, to allow each member an equal voice, and to de-center himself. What we hear on \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHappy Today\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is an egalitarian group sound by design, curious and intuitive. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Everybody's listening in a way where it's not always like ‘I'm going to go with you’,” says Johnson. “But it's always ‘I hear you’. And sometimes it's ‘I hear you and I'm going to stay here and allow the tension of these two things to exist for a while before \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003emaybe\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e joining you.’ But the thing that's cool is that everybody’s hearing it. Because of the time that we've spent together there’s a maturity to the listening—a very special version of deep listening.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“The number of times that we've talked about the music is \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eso few\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e compared to the years and years of playing,” Johnson continues. “I think that's one of the really beautiful things about the band—how organically the way that we play together has come about and evolved over time. Definitely on brand for the music that the band makes too. Slowly evolving, long form development.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“I learned how to improvise \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ein this band\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e,” reveals Butterss, astonishingly. “I didn't really play improvised music before. So my whole approach to improvisation has been shaped by playing with Jeff, Jay, and Josh. It\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e a band and it has its own language. I think you could drop the needle on any of the recordings and people would be able to say ‘that's the quartet.’ It's very distinctive and it's developed very organically. We have \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003enever\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e talked about it, I don't think.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThat's\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e our band,” says Parker of “Like Swimwear,” almost with an outsider’s sense of fascination at the recording. He seems to feel the same enchantment and surprise that the audience does while listening, despite being a primary part of the process. “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThat's it\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. I mean, that's what the ETA Quartet does.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt’s a blessing for this band to be so expertly documented in its naturally public, live context. The two sidelong improvisations from Lodge Room that make up \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHappy Today\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, as with the recordings that made up the IVtet’s first two albums, are beautifully rendered by engineer \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBryce Gonzales\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e—recorded and mixed live, direct to a Nagra tape machine utilizing a compact outboard rig that he built himself, specifically to record this band. Much like the thumbprint originality coming from the players themselves, Gonzales’ capture of the music is its own signature, his mixes a form of sound improvisation themselves.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA major addition to this particular presentation is the full album length film by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCharlie Weinmann\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, documenting the band's performance of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHappy Today\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e at Lodge Room, which will be released in tandem with the album. A shadow-laden, almost noirlike capture of the band in its full sprawling glory, Weinmann’s camera makes \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ethe joyful reality of seeing the IVtet at work widely accessible for the first time. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWith \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHappy Today\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e the reach of Parker’s IVtet extends further than ever before, but the essential formula, if there is one, remains the same. The anchor seems to be in variations on an almost alchemical communication—a feeling of connection between band members, sure, but also between the band and the audience. It’s an ongoing trust exercise, born organically in the corner of a small room in Los Angeles and flowing outward at exactly its own natural pace. It’s social music with a clear ability to move those willing to listen. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHappy Today\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is an invitation to become part of the exchange and experience the joy of deep listening.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAll compositions by The ETA IVtet:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay Bellerose - Drums and Percussion\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnna Butterss - Acoustic Bass\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJosh Johnson - Alto Saxophone with Electronics\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJeff Parker -  Electric Guitar with Electronics\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLive recording by Bryce Gonzales.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMastered by Dave Cooley at Elysian Masters.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAlbum photography by David Haskell.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAlbum layout and design by Aaron Lowell Denton.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThanks to Bryce and Highland Dynamics, Scottie, David, Dave, Hippo, Jocelyn and Ashley at IARC, David Bither and staff at Nonesuch Records, Chris, Tina and Ryan at Big Fish, David Haskell, and the wondrous audience and staff at Lodge Room.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eF@#K ICE. Power To The People.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll rights Reserved\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0109 LP - Limited Edition Color Vinyl","offer_id":52131163734290,"sku":"IARC0109LPI","price":34.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"IARC0109 LP - Classic Black Vinyl","offer_id":52131163767058,"sku":"IARC0109LP","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0109 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52131163799826,"sku":"IARC0109CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0109 - Digital Download","offer_id":52131163832594,"sku":"IARC0109","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/a0999850971_10.jpg?v=1773940887"},{"product_id":"kalia-vandever-mana","title":"Kalia Vandever - Mana","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDescription:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eMana is the International Anthem debut by composer, trombonist and vocalist Kalia Vandever. This new full length carries on the expansive and dazed spirit of their first solo album, We Fell In Turn, while entering a new landscape of spacious songwriting.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eVandever’s music has quickly and widely gained traction in the last few years despite the fact that their style has been consistently difficult to pin down, boasting a compositional scope ranging from the cinematic modern jazz of their quartet work to the synthetic, gauze-like droning ambience of their solo material. Mana leans into the expansion of the latter: solo trombone filtered through a well-dialed pedalboard and manipulated live, paired with spare piano à la late-career work of Ryuichi Sakamoto. The electroacoustic interplay simultaneously echoes and transforms the long-note melodicism of Vandever’s melancholic brass work; and the whole sound is emotively augmented with head-on, unambiguous, and deeply personal sung lyrics—a particularly fresh move for the composer. This dexterity has not gone unnoticed, with The Wire asserting, “Vandever has never sounded more assured and in control of their many strengths.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“It was born out of curiosity,” says Vandever of the new record. “Of wanting to explore playing in a solo context, but also\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewanting to interact with my own sound. I was also asking myself things like ‘how can I do this in a way that feels personal, but different from what I've seen?’ It's allowed me to go deeper into my relationship with the instrument and with sound in general.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA turning point in that development came when Vandever began to get more opportunities to play outside of the context of the jazz world. Some of those opportunities came in the form of playing a part in backing groups for pop stars (Harry Styles) or indie-rock mainstays (Japanese Breakfast), but the true exploration of Vandever’s own sound personality came while performing solo to new audiences unconcerned with genre. In particular, an opening slot on a tour with folksinger Haley Heynderickx seemed to knock something loose. There was, perhaps, less of a feeling that they needed to touch on jazz traditions in order to satisfy some kind of unspoken expectation from the audience—less perceived rigidity and, thus, less shyness about how to present. For Vandever, warming up the stage for Heynderickx and seeing a very different kind of crowd from the stage night after night helped to cement a sort of bravery about sharing a number of more intimate, lyric-centered pieces. “I was considering that they might gravitate more toward words,” says Vandever. “So I thought I could try these songs that I had been developing, that maybe I was feeling a little nervous to share.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“When I started opening for Haley, her audiences were just so giving and really open to receiving anything,” they continue. “So I started trying these songs and I feel like the words really resonated with audiences. It felt important to include them on the record.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt’s more than just the words that resonate here. There’s a sonic scope on Mana which tees up a deep world for these lyrics to live in whenever they appear. A full-bodied trombone awash in reverberation and polyphonic pitch-shifting introduces “Hubbard Road,” Mana’s opening track. Vandever’s trusty brass axe rings out with confident warmth and soft power, ascending and descending in register, before being joined by the song’s primary theme—two repeating grand piano triads. It’s a quietly tense musical figure that is slowly unwound by Vandever’s soul-bearing horn improvisations.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Waiting” opens with solo trombone laid deeply in a dense web of cloudy effects, holding a warped mirror to Vandever’s melodic brass call. The two elements vie for position until the halfway mark, when the disorienting tonal wash wins out, soon joined by Vandever’s longing and contemplative high-register vocal work—not dissimilar to the alluring intimacy of Grouper or the obscure swoon of Victorialand era Cocteau Twins.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Murmuray” is a could-be brass reverie, rendered ambient via the foghorn solitude of Vandever’s effect chain savviness. By the 1:30 mark it’s transformed into a droning take on a tune grandma might have hummed, appropriate for the early riser’s first step into the day or the night owl’s weary and quiet walk home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe track’s title is an Ilocono term used to describe waking and being fully awake. “Ilocono is one of three most common languages in the Philippines and was spoken primarily by my maternal grandfather,” says Vandever, who learned the term when their grandmother used it to describe their voice on a phone call. “I'm very close to my grandma on my mom's side. She's the only one in the family who sings, and I grew up listening to her sing Hawaiian folk songs. I feel like her singing encouraged me to discover my voice. She's been an influence of mine for my whole life.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor Vandever, that family connection and that lineage cannot be overemphasized. In the liner notes for Mana, they focus on the importance of Hawaiian mythology and ancestry as inspiration for their solo work. Mana, which in Hawaiian means “foundational, supernatural, or divine power and strength,” reveals more of their voice and words, drawing from yearning, loss, and bewilderment.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom Vandever's liner notes for Mana: \"Mana in Hawaiian culture is the divine and supernatural spirit that gives strength and power to living beings, places, and objects. In traditional Hawaiian society, mana lived in Ali'i, known as chiefs and royalty who upheld the kapu (code of conduct) and cared for their people and the land. They possessed the most mana due to their believed relation to Gods and their responsibilities to the islands. In modern culture, mana can be felt, cultivated, and strengthened as you grow closer to your inner self, native land, and ancestral power. I carry the stories, wisdom, and care of my ancestors as I navigate grief, love, community, and exploration and feel my sense of mana deepening when I play for them.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the last few years Vandever has had several opportunities to travel to Hawaii to play music, and it seems to have shed new light onto their personal connection to Hawaiian mythology and ancestry and how it relates to their musical expression—a meeting of their familial and professional life that represents a sort of closing of a circle.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“My experience of going to Hawaii when I was younger was purely to see family, and it always felt very separate from music,” they explain. “A lot of my Hawaiian family doesn’t really travel, so they weren't able to see me perform until the last couple of years. I’m just feeling really grateful that there's been this convergence, and I feel like it really influences the way that I play, and to have this confidence and when I play the solo set. I think a lot about the presence of family and ancestry when I play—connection with family that I've lost.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe final song on Mana is “Holding,” Vandever’s version of a breakup song. Swirling, suspended chords pile up beneath a trombone-led intro, concentrating into droning clusters of soft synth-like sound. These frenetic yet melodically unchanging tones become a gentle beeswarm bed for Vandever’s simple and direct lyricism, the most apparent point of new growth on the album itself, delivered with the same floating confidence as their trombone work:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHolding on to you\u003cbr\u003eWill you hold me til the end?\u003cbr\u003eWill you release me?\u003cbr\u003eI will release you\u003cbr\u003eI am holding\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReleases June 12, 2026\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll music composed \u0026amp; performed by Kalia Vandever. Album produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Lee Meadvin at Koda Sound. Cover photo by Isabel Gonzalez.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThank you to my loving family, Corina, Kevin, Felicia, Frances, and Lilo. Thank you Mo, you're always with me. Thank you Lee for guiding this process. Thank you Hannah and the team at International Anthem for supporting this album.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"cc-icons commercial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eAll rights reserved\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0111  LP - Classic Black Vinyl","offer_id":52218247905554,"sku":"IARC0111LP","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0111 LP - Limited Edition *Hibiscus* Color Vinyl","offer_id":52218247938322,"sku":"IARC0111LPI","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0111 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52218247971090,"sku":"IARC0111CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC00111 - Digital Download","offer_id":52218248003858,"sku":"IARC00111","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/IARC0111_Artwork_3000x3000_RGB.jpg?v=1777065348"},{"product_id":"jeremiah-chiu-edge-conditions","title":"Jeremiah Chiu - Edge Conditions","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eEdge Conditions is the new album by Los-Angeles based composer, synthesist, and multi-media artist Jeremiah Chiu. Following three electro-acoustic duo albums with violist Marta Sofia Honer (one in collaboration with the legendary Ariel Kalma) and three heavily-fused trance-jazz LPs with his co-led quintet SML, Edge Conditions settles Chiu into a world of densely layered, tightly composed, experimental synth-pop deviations in the vein of the YMO spinoffs, Arthur Russell 12-inch mixes, Yasuaki Shimizu, or Art of Noise. Outsider deconstructions spun through the dance\/chill cycle and lovingly rebuilt on California land. There’s an emotional, energetic arc here—a shining display of Chiu’s range and depth as both a composer and producer, in which every facet of his collaborative work and sonic personality feels represented without force.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Electric Time, his 2023 first-thought-best-thought album recorded at the Vintage Synth Museum in LA, offered a narrower glimpse into his solo process and sound, essentially acting as a collection of studies \u0026amp; experiments à la the essential Raymond Scott collection Manhattan Research Inc. The goal was for the work to be immediate, improvisational, and born of quick decision making. The operation was ultimately simple: Jeremiah Chiu the practitioner\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003efinds his way around a very impressive rig.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEdge Conditions expanded the aim of that practice to make room for a larger scope of vision, developing under a more nuanced series of self-imposed boundaries, limitations, and clarifying frameworks meant to help connect the threads of the disparate artistic worlds Chiu inhabits. The music was written and recorded during February and March of 2026, with the composer operating both in isolation and with a select team of musical comrades, while also incorporating live collaborations, field recordings, and audio sketches going back years.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eas JC puts it:\u003cbr\u003eIn architecture, edge conditions are the boundaries, interfaces, or transition zones between two different areas, materials, or states, often acting as a unique, occupiable, or functional space. They describe the interaction between systems—such as public vs. private land, or contrasting building materials—and are critical in architectural design, urban planning, and ecology for their \"active\" or \"passive\" nature. Thematically, the idea of an architectural edge condition came to mind during the process of making this record as it, too, feels like a practice bound by (environmental) restrictions, or boundaries.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Way In” is the album’s bite-sized call to action. A classic keyturner, this introductory wind-up promptly kicks into a wave of bleeping electronics atop a melancholic synth motif while chaotic, ultra-processed drum samples build at warp speed in wide stereo. By the time we know what is happening the mid-tempo techno-jazz of “A.M. Fuses” is in full swing, echoing the sonic upheaval of turn of the century Chicago—Tortoise, Prekop, Chicago Underground, et al—and the magnetic pull it had for formative groups like Stereolab. It’s more than just a reference, though. These sounds are from a community that Chiu grew up listening to and is now, fittingly, enmeshed in as a forward-marching composer in his own right.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“In Visibility” eases in with soulfully abstract drip-drop melodies, quickly and smoothly enveloped by a laid back west coast rhythm. “It was written with the Art of noise in mind, whom I love,” says Chiu. “I always get the sense that they’re having fun. Their music is all incredibly dialed in, but there’s a lightness to it—serious play.” It’s a spaced-out cruiser of a tune and a perfect example of Chiu’s use of industrial sounding texture to create an almost humanlike sense of pulse and breath. Somewhere in the multiverse an alternate Laurie Spiegel came home from the club, recorded the perfect makeout track, and it sounded exactly like this.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe title track follows, offering up a glimpse of what Steve Reich’s Different Trains could have been if it was even remotely sexual. The pendulum swings wide here, with “Edge Conditions” boasting both the most sensuous groove and the noisiest chaos on the album: ramping up the tension with truly anarchic processing of Marquis Hill (trumpet), Will Miller (EVI), and Patrick Shiroishi (Saxophone) before a cool down coda of synthetic ambient waves and cut-up distant human chatter, segueing again, suddenly tuff, into the muscle drums of “Interfaces.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat wide swing is something that covers the entire Edge Conditions record, and it’s the sheer breadth of the thing which really makes it shine as a whole. As listeners, we’re never in the same place for long. The pastiche of recording styles and fidelities, the quick cut employment of field recorded moments, the building and dissolving textural focuses—it’s all done within the tracks as well as over the album in macro. It’s clear that Jeremiah Chiu is not solely focused on one thing, and that he is insisting (correctly) that all of his points of focus work together.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt’s on the most radical departures that Chiu proves himself right. “Sentimental Object,” which features luscious strings from Marta Sofia Honer, delivers an almost academic turn away from pulsing drone and cool modality, instead favoring a tonal concern with drama, tension, and tonic resolution. Chord changes, essentially, and more of them than you think, all nestled in a dense collection of expertly synthesized sonic layers. “The day I first sketched it out, I re-listened to a Handel figured bass exercise as well as Ryuichi Sakamoto’s async,” says Chiu. “It felt like what I was doing subconsciously had these reference points. There’s this incredible melancholic feeling that overtakes you when listening to Sakamoto’s song “andata.” It’s impossible not to be moved by it. Similarly, Albinoni’s Adagio shares this melancholy, but feels more uplifting and hopeful, almost stately.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Sentimental Object” certainly embodies that stately melancholy while maintaining the boundaries and limitations of the larger project, showing us that anything goes as long as the internal logic is followed. The entire album maintains an effortless, almost tidal ebb-and-flow. Each new moment arrives and dissolves just when it should, not a moment before and never outstaying its welcome. Chiu is, here, making a very difficult thing look very easy. A mathematical equation that is somehow ecstatic. Rarely has something so masterful sounded so hip: total rhythmic transformations accompanied by harmonic and melodic modulation drawing clear, functional lines between distinct, fully developed and interconnected moments. Edge conditions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy contrast, “Plastic Mind \/ Elastic Machines” returns us to the body: dense but soft train whistle puffs beg the attention behind a steady shaker before the beat drops courtesy of SML bandmate Booker Stardrum. Chiu’s modular chatter sits on top of Stardrum’s deeply saturated low-end percussive bump, augmented by only occasional, expertly placed phrases of tonality amongst the satisfying chaos of pings, clangs, and shimmers. The train has left the station, no doubt, and in the final movement the rider joins the pastoral world: the chatter becomes tonal and melodic; the percussion becomes gentle and deliberate; a long and simple melody hovers delicately on top. It’s in this second movement that we hear what might be the most Chicago vibe on the record, with Chiu reflecting back the essence of heroes like Tortoise or The Sea and Cake as a peer from the generation after.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEdge Conditions is that full reflection and most definitely the first full-frame look at Jeremiah Chiu as a composer. Here one of the most exciting artists in Los Angeles finally flashes his badge and steps fully into the spotlight.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOut October 9, 2026\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eComposed by Jeremiah Chiu.\u003cbr\u003eMixed by Jeremiah Chiu and Dave Vettraino.\u003cbr\u003eMastered by David Allen.\u003cbr\u003eSequenced by Jeremiah Chiu and Scott McNiece.\u003cbr\u003eCover drawing by Korey Martin.\u003cbr\u003eDesign and Layout by Jeremiah Chiu.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWritten and produced at SAN Studios, Los Angeles, February \u0026amp; March, 2026.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJeremiah Chiu performs modular, synthesizers, and drum machines on (all songs).\u003cbr\u003eBen Lumsdaine performs drums and percussion on (1, 2, 4, 5).\u003cbr\u003eMarta Sofia Honer performs viola on (6, 7, 9, 10).\u003cbr\u003ePatrick Shiroishi performs saxophone and field recordings on (1, 4, 5, 7).\u003cbr\u003eTakako Minekawa performs vocals and field recordings on (6, 10).\u003cbr\u003eBooker Stardrum performs drums on (1, 6, 7).\u003cbr\u003eMarquis Hill performs trumpet on (4).\u003cbr\u003eWill Miller performs EVI on (4).\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cspan\u003eall rights reserved\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"IARC0115 LP - Classic Black Vinyl","offer_id":52510942331154,"sku":"IARC0115LP","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0115 LP - Limited Edition \"Marble Cream\" Color Vinyl","offer_id":52510942363922,"sku":"IARC0115LPI","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0115 CD - Compact Disc","offer_id":52510944067858,"sku":"IARC0115CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"IARC0115 Digital Download","offer_id":52510942396690,"sku":"IARC0115DD","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0751\/6989\/0578\/files\/JeremiahChiu-EdgeConditions.jpg?v=1783729645"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.intlanthem.com\/collections\/cd.oembed?page=2","provider":"International Anthem (US)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}