Catalog

A BISSEL RHYTHM is composer and clarinetist Paul Green’s PARMA Recordings debut, although it marks his second recorded exploration into the fusion between jazz and Jewish music. A performance at Merkin Concert Hall resulted in the New York Times extolling his talents: “Like a cobra intent on doing some charming of its own, the clarinetist Paul Green weaved, darted and hovered over his instrument…conjuring gorgeous sounds.”

On her debut Big Round Records release, A SINISTER ENDEAVOR, composer and pianist Gay Pearson presents a collection of works that highlight her eclectic quintet - consisting of piano, bass, drums, flute, and cello - and their colorful, introspective, and energetic performances. Recorded live in Newburyport MA, this album presents original works by Pearson, including Zonal and Meridional Flow, with its classical counterpoint and 4-part polyphony; the energetic solo piano piece Cirrus High; and An Ionian Emitter, which uses complex rhythms and syncopation.

BIG BULLY is the first disc in the new Best Foot Forward series from Recess Music. This disc highlights the importance of education on bullying and its effect on children, as well as how children and their parents can deal with issues surrounding bullying. More importantly, the tracks on the disc teach kids that even if they are bullied, they are special to someone and that they can still make a difference.

Even though the tracks on BIRTH OF A CITY are loosely grouped by their titles, the recording is very much a concept album. Haney, himself an accomplished pianist who also studied composition, scored the pieces for a kind of string quartet (violin – viola – cello – double bass), interspersed by varying quantities of brass instruments and percussion. Naturally, as one would expect from this kind of music, all works are scored with exactitude – for the most part, that is. Remarkably, Haney grants the performers a great amount of improvisatory freedom – indubitably owing to his own background in jazz, the genre which definitely and definitively shines through in all his compositions.

Life on the Canadian prairie is vital, challenging, and poetic, and on their debut Big Round Records release, BY THE RED, pianist Laura Loewen and baritone Mel Braun - joined by Fred Redekop and Jay Taylor, otherwise known as the mandolin-bass duo Big and Dinky - present a glimpse of the variety of folk music found in Manitoba's Red River Valley. Drawn from French Canadian, Métis, German Mennonite, Scots, and cowboy culture, and supplemented by the art song-like settings of John Greer, Larry Warkentin, Chester Duncan, Robert Turner, and Heidi Ugrin, these works relate stories that 200 years of life in the Red River Valley have generated. Tales of sod-busting pioneers, exile, sacrifice, summer idyll, and love, all leavened by a sense of humor that allows life to flourish on the prairie, are explored on this dramatic and nostalgic collection.

CELEBRATE EARTH is an all-new collection of children's music with an environmental message. Each of the fourteen songs were hand-picked by Recess Music CEO Nancy Doan for their quality and commitment to making the Earth a better place. CELEBRATE EARTH is sure to entertain and educate kids of all ages.

CIRCADIAN WORLD CLOCK from David Haney and Big Round Records is a captivating exploration of nature’s musical landscape. In this groundbreaking recording project, Haney challenges participants from around the world to submit 2-3 minute field recordings, each recorded at the specific hours of the day prescribed by the monastic Liturgy of the Hours.

DETOURS, the debut Big Round Records release from percussionist Joe Porter and pianist Joel Goodfellow, showcases the jazz duo's capacity for collaboration and improvisation, with animated and dynamic versions of well-known film and literary compositions.

EK IS EIK, the debut Big Round Records release for critically acclaimed Dutch composer and harpist Anne Vanschothorst, features works for contemporary classical harp with a distinctly jazz twist. By way of solo harp pairing with instruments such as the trumpet, viola da gamba, percussion, and bass, Vanschothorst's music mirrors her passion for experimentation and eclecticism. EK IS EIK takes listeners on a journey of thoughts and memories, and appeals to the profound within the listeners: imagination, emotion, truth, and beauty.

New from Big Round Records comes jazz composer and pianist Paul English’s GIRL IN GREEN. The album features never-before-heard renditions of immortal classics as well as English’s original works. Listen as English and his cadre of masterful soloists carve a place for themselves in jazz history.

GOIN’ HOME… A RETROSPECTIVE is pianist and composer Gay Pearson’s second release on Big Round Records. The album is a live recording of her most recent annual chamber-jazz concert, featuring an eclectic ensemble with Gay Pearson on piano, John Lockwood on bass, Phil McGowan on drums, Tracy McMullen on saxophone, Lea Pearson on flute, and Shannon Allen on cello. This varied ensemble performs a wide variety of music with different instrumental combinations, from Astor Piazzolla to classic tunes of Chick Corea, Harold Arlen and Jerome Kern, to more contemporary original compositions by Pearson herself.

GRATITUDE ATTITUDE is the fifth release in the critically acclaimed Best Foot Forward series from Recess Music. This album of children's music features many contrasting styles and teaches our kids lessons of gratefulness, respect and expressing thanks, with songs chosen for their ability to engage, educate, entertain, and encourage children to think about selflessness and giving. Just like the other discs in the Best Foot Forward series, GRATITUDE ATTITUDE features engaging, fun tunes enjoyable for kids and parents alike!

Recess Music is proud to present GROWING VEGGIE SOUP, the next installment in the Celebrate Earth Music Series. The thirteen songs were picked for their focus on educating kids about gardening and sustainable farming practices.

Sebastiano Meloni composer, piano Adriano Orru composer, double bass Tony Oxley composer, drums

From genre-smashing composer and keyboardist Miguel Kertsman and drummer Ernie Adams comes IN THE MOMENT, a true-to-its-name album that leaps over musical boundaries and defies any label. The single-take, minimally microphoned recordings capture the raw emotional potential of music and the spontaneity of an intimate recording session. Kertsman’s vintage analog keyboards, bass pedals, and Adams’ drums work in tandem to duck and weave between musical forms, mingling with progressive rock, jazz fusion, Brazilian, Eastern, and more, all seamlessly fused together into one cohesive musical journey.

Big Round Records is proud to announce its reissue of Andy Jaffe's MANHATTAN PROJECTIONS, an album of the jazz composer/pianist's works for small band repertoire. This rerelease of the jazz classic includes the original seven works from the 1984 debut, the McDaniels session tracks from the 2001 Playscape reissue, plus three bonus tracks from the Tom McClung-Andy Jaffe piano trio exclusive to this release.

In February 2012, three of today's greatest jazz musicians and arguably the world's top classical clarinetist entered Avatar Studios in New York to record a twelve-minute epic by the legendary Chick Corea. The resulting track, Marika Groove with marimbist Mika (Yoshida) Stoltzman, drummer Steve Gadd, bassist Eddie Gomez, and clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, captures the brilliance of both the composer and performers in a sprawling cut with constant interplay between the instruments and melodic marimba lines, which (Yoshida) Stoltzman navigates with ease.

With a variety of musical flavors pulled from composers spanning Keiko Abe to Bach to Bill Evans, MARIMJAZZIA, composer and marimbist Juan Álamo's debut album on Big Round Records delivers a satisfying plate of music for the soul. Along with arrangements of two jazz standards, Waltz for Debby and Afro Blues, the album features original compositions for marimba and percussion ensemble by the composer. As to the concept behind the album, Álamo says, "It is a reflection of who I am as a human being and a synthesis of all the different musical influences and experiences I have had throughout my career." With accompaniments by the UNC Percussion Ensemble, MARIMJAZZIA brings together the warm airs of Álamo's native Puerto Rico and the influences that have kept his passion flourishing.

Big Round Records is proud to present MIKA MARIMBA MADNESS: LIVE IN CONCERT 2009, featuring a breathtaking performance from Japan's virtuoso marimbist Mika (Yoshida) Stoltzman alongside drummer Steve Gadd, bassist Eddie Gomez, and pianist Peter Stoltzman.

Big Round Records is proud to present MORNING MOON, the debut commercial release from the eclectic and varied Ecco La Musica. The group's seamless blending of jazz, world, chamber, and experimental music-all of which is composed by the group members themselves-highlights their ability to remain ahead of the curve of their competition, both independent and mainstream. As most artists struggle to blur the lines of genre, Ecco La Musica has them nearly erased.

Ecco La Musica seeks to connect to its audience not through an ability to be pegged into a single category, but through the spiritual and cultural aspects of their music. Firm believers in the unifying power of music and the coexistence promoted by its very craft, the group strives to expose listeners to the idea that originality and cross-cultural influences in music can lead to a global awareness of artistic integrity, the necessity for peace, and the unity of culture.