Executive Overview For the better part of the past fifteen years, Manchester-born, London-based pianist and composer Jamie Safir has operated as one of the British music scene’s best-kept secrets. While his name may not have dominated marquee headliners for most of that tenure, his artistry has consistently elevated the work of some of the most … Read more
Executive Overview Four years ago, the global jazz community buzzed with the announcement of Blue Note Africa. Launched as a specialized imprint under the joint stewardship of Blue Note Records and Universal Music Group Africa, the label carried a definitive and ambitious remit: to systematically discover, sign, and elevate musical talent from across the African … Read more
Executive Overview In an era saturated with digital production and algorithmic perfection, the true pulse of contemporary Brazilian popular music often beats loudest within the unvarnished confines of a live studio session. Enter singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer Haroldo Bontempo. With his latest release, Ao Vivo em Quarteto, recorded live in the intimate acoustics of Galeria … Read more
Executive Overview The global music community today marks the arrival of Watching The Tide, the final, posthumous studio record from soul icon, songwriter, and Stax Records architect Steve Cropper. Released as a monument to a career that fundamentally reshaped 20th-century American popular music, the dozen-track collection features an unprecedented gathering of rock and blues royalty … Read more
Executive Overview In the contemporary landscape of modern jazz, few artists possess the institutional weight and geographical rootedness that vibraphonist and composer Stefon Harris has cultivated over the past decade. Long recognized as a master craftsman of mallet percussion, Harris has steadily anchored his professional, academic, and creative life in the city of Newark, New … Read more
Red Hook Records, the acclaimed independent label founded in 2021 by veteran producer Sun Chung following his departure from ECM, is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a profound artistic and philanthropic statement: Peace Anthems. Spanning ten distinct pieces performed by a rotating ensemble of thirteen master musicians, the album avoids the common pitfalls of the … Read more
Executive Overview To understand the volatile brilliance of British jazz legend Edward "Tubby" Hayes, one must first look at the paper trail—or rather, the lack thereof. In a new three-disc retrospective box set titled An Unexpected Pleasure, compilers John Thurlow and Simon Spillett—backed by the tireless archival label Jazz In Britain—have assembled thirty-six previously unissued … Read more
Executive Overview In September 1965, a twenty-two-year-old dropout from PUC-Rio’s law faculty stood on the precipice of international renown. Marcos Valle had already watched his compositions circulate through the cultural arteries of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo via other people’s voices. Yet, his sophomore long-playing record—released by Odeon and featuring a pristine, sun-drenched collection … Read more
Executive Overview Two decades after it first graced turntables and redefined the landscape of modern popular music, Amy Winehouse’s seminal sophomore album, Back To Black, is being honored with a definitive, deluxe 20th-anniversary reissue. Set for release on October 23 via UMR/Island, this comprehensive package aims to capture not only the lightning-in-a-bottle magic of the … Read more
Executive Overview Art has long served as a vital mirror to societal turmoil, reflecting the acute anxieties, institutional pressures, and human resilience of its era. In their latest release, “Dange,” the Los Angeles-based experimental project Big Trouble—spearheaded by Justin Kohlberg (known for his work with Moonrun) and Daniel Talamantes—delivers a poignant and unflinching musical dispatch … Read more
