Omer Gorveen - Maya - VINYL LP

During the Summer of 2021, we received an email from Omer Govreen, a twenty-something Israeli bassist living in Amsterdam. He sent a quartet recording of original songs he made with his friends at the all analog studio Lullabye Factory in Amsterdam. We were floored. We bought the tapes and made an agreement to the album. Featuring Slovenian prodigy Aleksander Sever on vibraphone and Dutch players Wouter Kühne on drums and Floris Kappeyne on piano, this is elegant but still propulsive and melodic music of the highest order. With a cover photo of Iceland (half Europe, half North America, get it?) by Hedi Mandel.

45 years after his album debut, four-time Grammy® Award-winning bassist Stanley Clarke shows he is still unapproachable on both the electric and acoustic, wielding a vision of fusion and funk, breakbeats and bass-interpreted cello suites with a little help from friends like rapper/beatboxer Doug E. Fresh and trumpeter Mark Isham. Backed by a young versatile band and a collection of tunes written in the midst of a tumultuous tour of Europe, The Message (available June 29 via Mack Avenue Records) swells with an abundance of strength, soul and astounding musicianship.

This is the 2nd album by an all european quartet of millennials. The band members met at the most prestigious music conservatory in Amsterdam. Their debut LP Maya, was issued by JMI in 2018. The response to the record was good and the band received a grant to travel to NYC to record their follow up. Govreen, now the titular leader of the group composed all the material on the album and led in improvisations. Recorded at Reservoir Studios January 2024 with Aleksander Sever on Vibraphone, Floris Kappeyne on Piano, and Wouter Kuhne on Drums.