Jazz Defenders - Memory In Motion - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Led by one of the UK's most formidable jazz pianists, George Cooper, The Jazz Defenders are a group born from a deep love of Blue Note jazz, drawing on a wealth of inspiration to craft their own raw and vibrant compositions.The hard bop recordings of Horace Silver, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan and Art Blakey were highly regarded for a reason - catchy horn lines and incredible musicianship combined with Rudy Van Gelder's engineering skills mean they will forever be regarded as classics of the genre. The Jazz Defenders are a group that defends the legacy of those recordings whilst creating it's own original identity and distinction. The music they produce together is a modern soul jazz slant on this classic hard bop, effortlessly channeling the spirit of the golden Blue Note era of jazz. The group's brainchild, pianist and composer George Cooper, has at a young age already amassed a comprehensive repertoire of musical credits including Hans Zimmer, Nigel Kennedy, U2, Omar, Slum Village, MF Doom, The Brand New Heavies, The Haggis Horns, Abstract Orchestra and Lack of Afro.George Cooper - Piano KeyboardsWill Harris - BassIan Matthews - DrumsNick Malcolm - TrumpetJake McMurchie - Tenor Sax

Out Of/Into, the all-star collective that began it's life as the Blue Note Quintet in celebration of Blue Note Records' 85th anniversary, is a profound embodiment of the tag's ethos, presenting state-of-the-art music and musicians - pianist Gerald Clayton, alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, vibraphonist Joel Ross, drummer Kendrick Scott, and bassist Matt Brewer - while also honoring Blue Note's rich legacy.

The past few years have found saxophonist/composer Jeremy Udden stepping away from his more fleshed out ensemble projects to focus on music with a more stripped down, direct approach. This led him to working up solo concerts, which, in turn led him back to one of his main influences, the great saxophonist and musical conceptualist Steve Lacy.// The loose and instinctive playing of Lacy has long been a draw for Udden. Udden even studied with the master improviser when Lacy was teaching at the New England Conservatory. After Lacy passed in 2004, Udden performed at a memorial concert that was held in New York City, along with a number of Lacy's friends and collaborators, including the drummer John Betsch. // Over the past few years, Udden also began a collaboration with Paris based bassist Nicolas Moreaux, with whom he recorded Belleville Project, which was released in 2015. The two continued to interact and consider new projects. As it turns out, the American born Betsch called Paris home for decades and Moreaux had been performing with him on occasion. The idea of incorporating Betsch into a trio project began to coalesce and would eventually culminate in their new recording, Three In Paris.