Photo: Bryan Murray

Tonight at 8:00 p.m., Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist/composer Josh Sinton will celebrate the release of his latest recording, Pine Barren (Engine), with a special solo performance at Barbès.

He’ll present the title book of original music heard on the record, which brings together three smaller suites, on baritone saxophone and bass clarinet.

The same compositions can be heard on a complementary release featuring his quintet holus-bolus, with Jon Irabagon (tenor saxophone), Jonathan Goldberger (guitar), Peter Bitenc (bass) and Mike Pride (drums), coming later this year on Prom Night Records.

Sinton will also perform this Sunday at The Local 269 in New York, where he will break out his newly acquired amplified contrabass clarinet for his first-ever set of improvised duets with drummer Satoshi Takeishi.

Learn more about Josh Sinton at http://joshsinton.com

Photo: Nick Lloyd

Guitarist/composer Mary Halvorson is pleased to announce the forthcoming May 8th release of Bending Bridges, her second recording with her working quintet and third consecutive title as a leader on Firehouse 12 Records. As on 2010′s Saturn Sings, which appeared on nearly 100 best-of-the-year lists, Ms. Halvorson is joined by trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson, saxophonist Jon Irabagon, bassist John Hébert and drummer Ches Smith for a program of new original compositions written specifically for this ensemble.

“Saturn Sings felt like a beginning,” she explains. “When that album was recorded, the band had only been together for a year and we had only played a handful of gigs. Since then, we have played together much more often, our sound has developed and we have become increasingly comfortable with the music and with each other. The more I get to know the Quintet, the easier it becomes to compose for that instrumentation, and for those musicians specifically. Plus, over time the whole band becomes more relaxed, which allows us to take more risks during performances. That’s a huge part of why I try to keep my bands together for a long time.”

Ms. Halvorson’s work with her quintet, which will hit the road this spring and summer in support of Bending Bridges, has inspired critics to call her “extraordinary” (John Fordham, BBC 3′s Jazz on 3), “hugely inventive” (John Corbett, DownBeat), “daringly unpredictable” (The New Yorker), “a distinct voice of her own” (Carl Wilson, Slate), “the most original jazz guitarist in a generation” (Michael J. West, Washington City Paper), “a multi-faceted artist whose writing is as impressive as her improvising” (Troy Collins, Point of Departure) and “one of today’s most formidable bandleaders” (Francis Davis, Village Voice).

“The quintet setting offers the Boston-born, Brooklyn-based guitarist entirely new harmonic possibilities,” writes Jazzwise reviewer Peter Quinn, “and the results are hugely impressive…Halvorson’s powerfully communicative music transcends the avant-garde experimental box.” The Philadelphia City Paper‘s Shaun Brady adds, “Halvorson has been steadily reshaping the sound of jazz guitar in recent years with her elastic, sometimes-fluid, sometimes-shredding, wholly unique style. Her compositions, shaped by a pop sensibility and unconstrained avant aggressiveness, are ably explored by five of modern jazz’s young leading lights.”

When not leading her quintet, or her other groups such as the longstanding Mary Halvorson Trio and the recently created Reverse Blue and Mary Halvorson Septet, Ms. Halvorson is the guitarist of choice for such notable bandleaders as Tim Berne, Anthony Braxton, Taylor Ho Bynum, Tomas Fujiwara, Curtis Hasselbring and Ingrid Laubrock. She also appears on the latest releases from the working ensembles Mary Halvorson & Jessica Pavone, The Thirteenth Assembly and the Tom Rainey Trio. All told, her recent career accomplishments include earning the top spot in the Rising Star Guitar category in the latest DownBeat Critics Poll and being named New York’s Best Guitarist 2011 by the Village Voice among other honors.

Learn more about Mary Halvorson at http://maryhalvorson.com

Photo: Michael Jackson

Chicago-based clarinetist/composer James Falzone and his working quartet KLANG will play hometown gigs tonight at Jerry’s Wicker Park and tomorrow night at The Hideout before heading into the studio on Thursday to record their fourth release, Brooklyn Lines, Chicago Spaces.

The band, which features Jason Adasiewicz (vibraphone), Jason Roebke (bass) and Tim Daisy (drums), will be presenting all new compositions by Falzone, including pieces commissioned through the 2010 Kickstarter campaign for its previous release, Other Doors (Allos Documents).

Critics have called KLANG’s music “thoughtful and stylish” (Ben Ratliff, New York Times), “so unmistakably right” (Brian Morton, Point of Departure), “adventurous yet accessible” (Troy Collins, AllAboutJazz.com), “distinct, challenging and pleasurable” (Mark Holston, Jazziz) and “an impressive combination of practiced virtuosity and spontaneous creativity” (The New York City Jazz Record).

“The level of rapport is extraordinary,” adds Cadence reviewer Stuart Kremsky, “and the malleability of each player’s role in the ensemble provides a broader range of instrumental color than you might expect. Great stuff, with more to discover in the music each time around.”

Learn more about James Falzone and KLANG at http://allosmusica.org

Today is the official street date for Mettle (Playscape Recordings), veteran guitarist/composer Michael Musillami‘s sixth release with his flagship trio with bassist Joe Fonda and drummer George Schuller. The record, which also features special guests Russ Johnson (trumpet), Ned Rothenberg (alto saxophone and clarinet), Jeff Lederer (tenor saxophone and clarinet) and Matt Moran (vibraphone), is part of the celebration of the trio’s 10th anniversary as a working unit.

In his recent feature article, the Hartford Courant‘s Owen McNally calls the group “a superb, finely tuned unit, empathetic, swinging and dramatically expressive of emotions sweeping from joy to sadness.” He adds, “More impressive than longevity, however, is the trio’s remarkably tight, cohesive unity. This element goes hand-in-hand with the threesome’s free, open sense of exploration both as individuals and as a unit in which they constantly interact with one another.”

Mettle is a collection of all-new original material, including Musillami’s first extended suite, Summer Suite: Twenty Ten, featuring eight diverse movements based on experiences and reminiscences—both musical and personal—from last summer. The inspirations range from a volcano in Iceland to his newly shaved head to memories of his Grandfather to his daughter going to college to a family vacation spot on Cape Cod.

The three other pieces on the record have similarly autobiographical backstories. The first track, “Piana dei Greci”, takes its name from the small Sicilian village where all four of Musillami’s grandparents were born. “Blues For The Wounded Warrior” was written as a tribute to the Wounded Warrior Project, a favorite charity of Musillami’s that assists wounded soldiers. A comment from his wife, a couple of hooded sweatshirts and a short period of listening to Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur inspired the record’s final track, “Thuggish Mornings”.

Musillami and his Trio + 4 have already performed this music live around the Northeast and will hit the road this spring for a series of CD release dates at venues such as Firehouse 12 in New Haven. More details will be announced soon.

Learn more about Michael Musillami at http://michaelmusillami.com

Photo: Jochem van Dijk

On Wednesday, March 7th at 8:30 p.m., Brooklyn-based vocalist Fay Victor will perform a special set of duets with the legendary Dutch pianist and bandleader Misha Mengelberg at The Bimhuis in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. This will be their first-ever concert as a duo after working together in various group settings over the past seven years, including Ms. Victor’s special guest performances with the iconic ICP Orchestra. The repertoire will be chosen spontaneously, but is expected to draw from their shared love for the music of Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk and Herbie Nichols.

“It will be a joy to meet Misha face-to-face this way,” Ms. Victor explains. “He has been a mentor of sorts to me since I first approached him about recording together back in 2001. We’ve played here and there ever since, including the last set of his two-week run at The Stone in New York in 2005, previous shows at the Bimhuis and tour dates with ICP in 2010 and 2011. I knew I’d already be in Europe in March to perform at the ArtActs Festival with the ReDDeeR Trio, so I suggested the idea for this show to Misha last November and I’m very fortunate he and the Bimhuis wanted to make it happen. I look forward to seeing where the moment and magic take us!”

“Awesome, incredible, unique, overwhelming—the adjectives to describe the sheer magnificence of vocalist/poet/improviser Fay Victor could go on for days,” writes the New Haven Advocate‘s Bill Carbone. Critics have called her “restlessly creative” (Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader), “artistically complete” (Ben Ratliff, New York Times), “breathtakingly original” (Jerome Wilson, Cadence), “refreshingly outside-the-box” (Time Out New York) and “a vocal artist with a real vision” (Lloyd Sachs, JazzTimes). When not leading and composing for her own groups, including the ExPosed Blues Duo and The Fay Victor Ensemble, she is collaborating with such notable artists as Ab Baars, Anthony Braxton and Other Dimensions in Music.

Learn more about Fay Victor at http://www.fayvictor.com

Photo: Bryan Murray

Next week, saxophonist Jon Irabagon heads to Europe where he will perform with a variety of groups through the end of March. That extended trip includes a week-long tour with Mostly Other People Do The Killing (MOPDtK) beginning two weeks from tomorrow.

Here are the dates:

February 18
Spielboden
Dornbirn, Austria

February 19
Porgy and Bess Jazz Music Club
Wien, Austria

February 20
Tafelhalle im KunstKulturQuartier
Nürnberg, Germany

February 21
La Dynamo de Banlieues Bleues
Paris, France

February 22
Penn ar Jazz
Brest, France

February 23
Victoria Nasjonal Jazzscene
Oslo, Norway

February 25
Just Music Jazz Festival
Wiesbaden, Germany

February 26
Teatro Fondamenta Nuove
Venezia, Italy

Photo: Cory Warner

Starting tonight, pianist Myra Melford, bassist Mark Dresser and drummer Matt Wilson will celebrate this week’s official release of The Guest House (Enja/Yellowbird), their second recording as Trio M, with a series of California performances.

This three-city tour includes concerts at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla (tonight), the Jazz Bakery Series at Musicians Institute in Los Angeles (tomorrow night) and Yoshi’s in San Francisco (next Tuesday).

The group will also support the record at the Outpost Performance Space in Albuquerque, New Mexico on March 29th and on an East Coast tour in April.

The New York Times‘ Nate Chinen writes, “The Guest House, the group’s excellent second album, doesn’t feel tethered to any era or dialect. With compositions by all three members, it’s a crisp, engaging ride, variously roiling or reflective, with high-wire interplay at almost every turn.”

DownBeat‘s John Corbett adds, “They all contribute music, and they all equally steer the ship, taking turns supporting, jumping out front and working together. Trio M is as much a piano trio as Jason Moran’s Bandwagon. Which means that they can step into that storied history if they want to, but for the most part they are busy making jazz that extends the creative music lineage.”

Learn more about Trio M at http://myramarkmatt.tumblr.com

On April 10th, AUM Fidelity will release the Eri Yamamoto Trio’s third title for the label, The Next Page (AUM071). This collection of all-new original music further demonstrates New York-based pianist/composer Eri Yamamoto‘s gift for melodious songcraft as well as the intuitive rapport of her longstanding trio featuring bassist David Ambrosio and drummer Ikuo Takeuchi. It features 11 pieces presented in two half-hour sets, divided by a short break, mirroring the format of the group’s live performances at its decade-long weekly engagement at the historic Arthur’s Tavern in Greenwich Village.

“I feel that our music keeps growing,” Ms. Yamamoto writes in the liner notes, “and that we are turning the page to a new chapter of our adventure together.” Her latest compositions draw their inspiration from the experience of subtle yet profound moments, including a beautiful vista in the mountains of Ireland, the first leaves of spring in Central Park, the sparkle of the winter sky through her window, the youthful enthusiasm of her eight year-old nephew and the nuances of light and shade while traversing the streets of New York on a dark night.

“Eri Yamamoto’s pianism is quietly dignified and her approach to music making exudes introspection and beauty,” writes The New York City Jazz Record‘s Marc Medwin. “Each note seems sculpted out of the silence surrounding it.” Others have described the trio’s music as “beautifully telepathic and conversational” (Will Layman, PopMatters.com), “fresh and intriguing” (Joe Bendel, The Epoch Times) and “simple, clear and to the point, thereby achieving an earthy eloquence” (Glen Hall, Exclaim!). The BBC’s Bill Tilland adds, “Yamamoto has a lovely touch and an active musical imagination. Consequently, each piece shines with its own interior light.”

“She can be a sonic painter,” explains the Hartford Courant‘s Owen McNally in his recent feature article, “as she demonstrates on her album, Redwoods, where her evocative playing makes you experience the sound of silence and godlike majesty of the giant redwood trees in the Muir Woods near San Francisco. She blends soft-hued harmonies, luminous melodies and lyrical expression with the introspective spirit of pianist Keith Jarrett and the poetic resonance of the great English romantic poet, William Wordsworth. Besides her knack for poetic introspection, she can also swing with free, vibrant energy…propelled by crackling interaction with her trio mates.”

Learn more about the Eri Yamamoto Trio at http://eriyamamoto.com

Photo: Peter Gannushkin

Longtime collaborators Mary Halvorson and Jessica Pavone will hit the road later this month for a series of New England tour dates in support of their newly released fourth recording, Departure of Reason (Thirsty Ear).

Tuesday, February 14th at 8:00 p.m.
The Brick House Community Resource Center
Turner Falls, Massachusetts

Thursday, February 16th at 8:30 p.m.
Buoy Gallery
Kittery, Maine

Friday, February 17th at 7:30 p.m.
Spaulding Recital Hall
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, Massachusetts

Saturday, February 18th at 8:00 p.m.
The Uncertainty Music Series
The BIG ROOM 
New Haven, Connecticut

“One gets the sense that the music goes wherever whimsy takes guitarist Mary Halvorson and Jessica Pavone,” writes JazzTimes‘ Steve Greenlee in his review of Departure of Reason. “Their music is insanely hard to pin down: It draws from jazz, folk, rock, modern classical and even medieval—sometimes all in one song, or so it seems…it is an inaccessible delight.”

“Given their remarkable history on previous recordings—most notably 2009′s Thin Air—the unique musical vocabulary they’ve established together should come as no surprise,” explains AllMusic.com’s Thom Jurek. “It is instinctive, formal, articulate, and full of subtleties, humor, and—even in song form—unique insight.”

AllAboutJazz.com’s Troy Collins adds, “each sinuous turn of phrase and abrupt change in accompaniment reveals an ever deeper level of virtuosic interplay. More sophisticated and confidently articulated than their previous duo efforts, Departure of Reason is a masterful example of cutting-edge creative improvised music that defies categorization.”

Learn more about the musicians at maryhalvorson.com and jessicapavone.com

On April 10th, AUM Fidelity will kick off its 15th anniversary year by releasing alto saxophonist/composer Darius Jones‘ Book of Mæ’bul (Another Kind of Sunrise), the third verse in his ongoing Man’ish Boy epic. This recording, featuring Jones’ quartet with pianist Matt Mitchell, bassist Trevor Dunn and drummer Ches Smith, introduces a new titular character, Mæ’bul, to the universe he is creating in close collaboration with graphic artist Randal Wilcox.

“Mæ’bul is the embodiment of every woman I have truly loved and had a relationship with in my life,” Jones explains. “They say Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that Love is God. I believe we as human beings are constantly searching for the answer to the mystery of these two elements of life. Beauty is not universal and Love is manifest differently from person to person. Mæ’bul is my attempt at creating a totem to represent my spiritual pursuit of these two elements in sound.”

Like the first two highly acclaimed recordings in the series, 2009′s Man’ish Boy (A Raw & Beautiful Thing) and last year’s Big Gurl (Smell My Dream), Book of Mæ’bul relates to a specific segment of what Jones calls the sonic tone poem of his life. This verse, which completes the epic’s back-story, is inspired by the many personal revelations he experienced in the years just before and just after he left home in 2005 to fully pursue his career as a musician in New York.

Time Out New York‘s Steve Dollar writes, “A powerhouse saxophonist with an unusually focused perspective, Darius Jones has ambitiously framed his personal story within the bigger picture of African-American musical history. It’s one of the reasons his performances have such a passionate narrative force, as if every solo conjured holy ghosts and prodigal sons, each with its own story to tell. The drama comes through loud and clear, as the stocky Virginia native has a lot of preacher blood in his veins.”

In their reviews of the previous verses of Jones’ eclectic autobiographical series, critics have called him “a singular talent” (Brian Morton, Jazz Journal), “fearless but disciplined” (Nate Chinen, New York Times), “a dramatic new voice on alto saxophone” (Richard Kamins, Hartford Courant), “always uniquely and recognizably his own man” (Phil Freeman, Burning Ambulance) and “a skilled composer, a hugely soulful saxophonist, and an assured leader” (François Couture, AllMusic.com).

Jones, who is profiled in the February issue of DownBeat, is building on a very fruitful 2011 that saw him play numerous gigs under his own name, launch a new intergenerational partnership with veteran pianist/composer Matthew Shipp, earn his second consecutive nomination for Up & Coming Artist of the Year at the Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards and appear on best-of-the-year lists in a variety of publications, including a Top 20 finish for Big Gurl in the prestigious Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll.

Learn more about Darius Jones at http://dariusjonesmusic.com