Here at the headquarters of A NEW WAVE OF JAZZ we are extremely proud to share these 3 great new releases with you.  It’s perhaps a coincidence that these 3 new albums are predominantly made by Portuguese musicians but also not as we’ve discovered a mutual musical language that is beautifully in sync with our kind of improvisation we like on the label.  3 releases which are significantly diffferent and yet interconnected. 

 These 3 albums are going into pre-order TODAY March 1st and officially out on March 8th.
We are offering them for that week at a special price of only 35 EUR (incl. worldwide postage).  Go here to order.

LEMADI TRIO – TRYPTOPHAN SUITE (cd)

Our 2nd release in the Axis series, graced with the beautiful b&w photography of Martina Verhoeven, is a special one.  When José Lencastre came over last year for a recording with Dirk Serries (a pending release somewhere), we did this last-minute trio concert for the Jazzblazzt series in The Netherlands.  With Martina Verhoeven on the electric crumar piano, this trio became something else.  Tryptophan Suite represents the very first notes this new trio played together. Stars were aligned and the music flowed effortlessly in a profound conversation where each personality and instrument matters. Fresh music is rooted in ancient principles that is uplifting and deep and also nostalgic and beautiful as only life can be. Portuguese saxophonist José Lencastre’s first encounter with Belgian guitarist Dirk Serries and pianist Martina Verhoeven resulted in exquisite musical storytelling. Unique in its line-up each instrument, with each musician behind it, has room to excel and brings a beautiful melange of (free) jazz, improvisation, and avant-garde to life that is clearly their own. Check out the album here.

GARUDA TRIO + RODRIGO PINHEIRO – TONGUES OF FLAMES (cd)

Truly an honor to have these 4 exceptional artists on our label.  Hugo Costa already graced our label with his outstanding duo album with Philipp Ernsting but here with Garuda Trio he’s in company of some of the top players from the Portuguese free jazz scene : Hernãni Faustino on the bass, João Valinho on drums and the fantastic Rodrigo Pinheiro on piano. Check out the album here.

“Listen how these four move around each other, and work with volume, density, textures, iridescent atmospheres and a finale in which lava-like energy morphs into something hypnotizing. The quartet somehow merges gravity with playfulness and never settles for conventionality, putting the act of spontaneous creation front and center.” Guy Peters

CARLA SANTANA/JOSÉ LENCASTRE/MARIO do MAR/GONÇALO ALMEIDA – DEFIANT ILLUSION (cd)

And if we thought we couldn’t top a line-up, here’s this unique quartet who brings a totally different experience. While Garuda Trio with special guest Rodrigo Pinheiro musters a fine balance between classic free jazz and improvisation, this quartet dives deep into the fantastic realm of pure improvisation and textural dialogue : the electronics of Carla Santana, the subtle horn contribution of José Lencastre, Maria do Mar drawing linear lineson the viola and the ever unpredictable Gonçalo Almeida on the double bass.  When Dirk Serries was asked to master the album, it became totally clear upon first listen, that this work was a keeper and needed to be on the label.  Stellar mood music. Check out the album here.

” It’s a combination of personalities and backgrounds that could lead to a free-for-all, a wicked carnival of sounds and ideas, but never does. If anything, it’s the coherence of Defiant Illusion that impresses most of all. The music is often ominous, occasionally dense and certainly requires a serious effort from the listener, but they will be rewarded with an aural spectacle that gets richer with each successive listen.” Guy Peters