Aaron Koppel Quartet • Multiverse
NEW RELEASE!
The 2012 follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2009 album
“Falling Together Falling Apart”
featuring Aaron Koppel, Matt Nelson
Graham Czach and Robert Tucker
Shawn Maxwell • Urban Vigilante
“...music played by a tight-knit group that knows each other's moves,
with studio sessions that play like a club set...”
– John Ephland, Downbeat Magazine
“People liking their jazz acoustic, straight-ahead and in the pocket”
will have lots to love here”.– Paul Abella, Chicago Jazz Magazine
Larry Gray Trio • Three Equals One
3 ½ Stars! (3=Good, 4=Excellent) – Downbeat Magazine
“the surprises come in subtle, consistent ways...
...a simple yet elegant trio...
these guys play up to the album title's meaning.”
– John Ephland, Downbeat Magazine
Matt Nelson Trio • Nostalgiamaniac
One of Downbeat Magazine's "Best CDs of 2011"
4 Stars! (“Excellent”) – Eric Fine, Downbeat Magazine
#6 in Neil Tesser’s Top Ten Chicago Jazz Discs of 2010
“the best piano-trio album to come out of Chicago in 2010” – Neil Tesser
“impressive debut ... a tasty player with a penchant
for uncommon lyricism...” – Bill Milkowski, Jazz Times Magazine
Chicago Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble • Blueprints
3 ½ Stars! (3=Good, 4=Excellent) – Downbeat Magazine
“... a Latin jazz masterpiece...
the sharpest new sound in Latin jazz” – Neil Tesser
“... a wonderfully diverse repertoire of new and highly creative music...”
– Rebeca Mauleón, Jazz Times Magazine
Shawn Maxwell Quartet • Maxwell's House
“a hard-swinging, deep in the pocket release... Maxwell’s tone and
sense of time are captivating… Strong compositions, a deep sense of time feel
and an emphasis on melody all come together to produce an album
that would be expected from musicians twice their age...”
– Matthew Warnock, All About Jazz
Pat Mallinger • Dragon Fish
#7 in JazzChicago.net's Top Chicago Recordings of 2009
“‘Dragon Fish’ not only features the masterful playing
of two virtuosos in a relaxed studio setting,
but showcases Mallinger’s exceptional compositional skills as well...”
– Brad Walseth, JazzChicago.Net
Paul Wertico's Mid–East/Mid–West Alliance • Impressions Of A City
One of Downbeat Magazine's "Best CDs of 2010"
4 ½ Stars! (4=“Excellent”, 5=“Masterpiece” )
– John Ephland, Downbeat Magazine
“This is musical narrative at its finest. A fanfare for the common
(and mechanistically exploited) 21st century man and woman.”
– Matt Marshall, JazzInside NY
Howard Levy • Tonight And Tomorrow
One of Downbeat Magazine's "Best CDs of 2010"
4 Stars! (“Excellent”) "a stellar trio" – Michael Jackson, Downbeat Magazine
“a marvelous piano-trio album featuring Levy's harmonica...
The trio interplay is first-rate throughout, as are the arrangements.”
– George Kanzler, Jazz Times
Darwin Noguera's Evolution Quintet • The Gardener
#13 in JazzChicago.net’s Top Chicago Recordings of 2009
“an expressive and experimental take on the Latin jazz vernacular...
The music here represents a new branch on the tree of jazz...
a very strong outing for Noguera and his entire ensemble”
– Matthew Warnock, All About Jazz
Zvonimir Tot • Eloquent Silence
“Tot keeps one-upping himself with every disc he puts out,
and ‘Eloquent Silence’ is a fantastic example
of just how brilliant
a guitarist, writer and arranger he is.”
– Paul Abella, Chicago Jazz Magazine
Aaron Koppel Quartet • Falling Together Falling Apart
#7 in Neil Tesser’s Top Ten Chicago Jazz Discs of 2009
#12 in JazzChicago.net’s Top Chicago Recordings of 2009
3 ½ Stars! (3=Good, 4=Excellent) – Downbeat Magazine
“a lovely, lively collection marked by intelligent writing, emotional depth,
and sterling musicianship.” – Neil Tesser (from the liner notes)
Tony do Rosario's New Chicago Jazz Quartet • New Beginnings
“With an expansive tone that brings to mind
the bleeding of a drop of watercolor into paper,
do Rosario runs off quick, single-noted lines
that have equal parts warmth and punch...”
– Matthew Warnock, All About Jazz
Paulinho Garcia • My Very Life
“Singer-guitarist Garcia always caresses the ear,
but this disc offers an impressive collection
of original compositions steeped in Brazilian musical culture.
Each is a revelation.”
– Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune
Steven Hashimoto's Mothra • Tradewind
#15 in JazzChicago.net’s Top Chicago Recordings of 2009
“Covering a lot of stylistic territory isn’t much of a trick,
but doing so and still projecting a unified ensemble voice is,
and Mothra carries it off with aplomb.”
– David Dupont, Cadence Magazine
Marshall Vente Trio • Marshall Arts
“Clearly one of the elite trio albums around, 'Marshall Arts' blends
a sophisticated version of straight jazz with tender bossa rhythms
in one nice musical package...
a must for the discerning jazz audience.”
– Edward Blanco, EJazz News
Larry Gray • 1, 2, 3...
“...sophisticated arrangements, gorgeous acoustic
and electric string textures... and sensitive trap-set work...
The tunes are sturdy and the playing inspired...
hefty set of well-conceived music...”
– Philip Booth, Downbeat