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The record captures an expansive performance in Poitiers, France in November 2023. First working together in an unpredictable trio with minimalist legend and eccentric extraordinaire Charlemagne Palestine, Ambarchi and Thielemans quickly established a remarkable musical chemistry that led to an ongoing series of duo concerts, including the performance documented on their LP Double Consciousness (Matière Mémorie, 2023).

Kind Regards finds the duo refining their shared language while continuing to take risks, allowing the music’s gravitational pull to lead them from meditative calm to unexpectedly expressive passages of melodic invention and rhythmic drive.

Recorded in sparkling fidelity and carefully mixed by Ambarchi’s longtime collaborator Joe Talia, the LP contains a single unbroken performance, stretching out for over 45 minutes. Guitar and drums weave together into a symbiotic whole that nevertheless affords us ample opportunity to marvel at the highly personal approaches these two musicians have developed to their chosen instruments through decades of diverse collaboration and prolific performance. The set begins with Thielemans’ hypnotic tom patterns, around which Ambarchi’s wavering, shimmering guitar tones—achieved with the help of the rotating speaker of a Leslie cabinet—flurry and swirl. Thielemans’ drums play subtle tricks with time and perception, adding and dropping beats within repeated patterns to create an effect at once rhythmically insistent and liquified. Growing at first into a rapidly pulsing texture of brushed drums and flickering harmonics, the music builds momentum into an irregular groove over which Ambarchi’s guitar is transformed into haunting, monumental electric organ chords, strikingly recalling the Wurlitzer work of Alice Coltrane, before settling into a section of gentle portamento melody embedded into the tactile clicks and clangs of Thielemans’ percussion.

When Thielemans adopts a more traditional jazz approach to the kit in some of the set’s second half, the results are stunning, demonstrating a feel for shifting accents and sensibility to the touch of the stick on the drum or cymbal that recalls greats like Jack DeJohnette or Billy Hart (one of Thielemans’ mentors). And when Ambarchi turns up the heat, he does so in an unexpected and delightful way, letting loose a swarm of jittering delayed tones straight out of Henry Kaiser’s classic It’s a Wonderful Life, with a more active use of the guitar’s fretboard than his usual approach to the instrument allows. As the performance draws to a close after a climactic episode of distorted harmonic groans and crashing cymbals that manages to be at once thunderous and carefully attuned to detail, it is clearer than ever that, for these two serial collaborators, this is a very special pairing.

Kind Regards shows us the kind of magic that can happen when two masters who have dedicated decades to reimagining their instruments simply begin to play, following the music wherever it goes.

"Kind Regards" is the second duo release from guitarist Oren Ambarchi and drummer Eric Thielemans, out via AD 93. The record captures an expansive performance in Poitiers, France in November 2023. First working together in an unpredictable trio with minimalist legend and eccentric extraordinaire Charlemagne Palestine, Ambarchi and Thielemans quickly established a remarkable musical chemistry that led to an ongoing series of duo concerts, including the performance documented on their LP Double Consciousness (Matière Mémorie, 2023). Kind Regards finds the duo refining their shared language while continuing to take risks, allowing the music"s gravitational pull to lead them from meditative calm to unexpectedly expressive passages of melodic invention and rhythmic drive.

NEA Jazz Master, Toots Thielemans, is widely considered to be the preeminent jazz harmonica
player. It is safe to say that before him, the harmonica in jazz was simply not done, and Thielemans
can be credited with legitimizing the instrument in the genre. Born in Brussels, Belgium in 1922.
Theileman’s excelled on accordion as a small child, before picking up the guitar as a teenager after
hearing Django Reinhart. Along the way, he taught himself to play harmonica as a hobby. In 1948,
during a visit to the US, he sat in on guitar with a jazz group at small club in New York and was
“discovered.” Engagements soon followed with the likes of Benny Goodman, Charlie Parker, Miles
Davis, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones and more. As the story goes, in response to a
musicians’ union restriction, Thielemans was forbidden to play guitar at a gig. So, he pulled out his
harmonica. The rest, as they say, is history. He went on to have a long and prolific career on the
instrument, as both a band leader and session musician. With his unique sound, he became a go-to
for film scores in the 1970s (The Pawn Broker, Midnight Cowboy). Perhaps most notably, Thielemans
is unconsciously known to generations for having played the melody on Sesame Street’s famous
closing theme. Organized as a purely jazz session, the date here prominently features a young Joanne
Brackeen on piano. It is perhaps Brackeen’s presence that makes this set so interesting. As an
avant-garde player she provides the vehicle for Thielemas to explore more advanced ideas. The
album covers a wide range of material, including two originals by Brackeen, alongside standards by
Coltrane, Ellington, Mercer and Mancini.

Recorded live December 9, 2021 by Christophe Albertijn at Werkplaats Walter, Brussels
Mixed June 2022 by Joe Talia at Good Mixture
Mastering & cut by Frédéric Alstadt at Mont Analogue Masters
Cover drawing by Roxane Métayer
Graphic & Layout by Cedric D’hondt

Toots Thielemans was a jazz harmonica virtuoso from Belgium. Together with pianist Karel Boehlee, bassplayer Hein Van De Geyn and Hans van Oosterhout on drums Toots recorded, as the European Quartet, the album 90 in
2012. The album features two compositions from Antonio Carlos Jobim, “Wave” and “One Note Samba”, “Dat Mistige Rooie Beest” from Rogier van Otterloo, “In Your Own Sweet Way” from Dave Brubeck and 7 more tracks.

90 is available as a limited edition of 500 individually numbered copies on white coloured vinyl.

Dark-folk songwriter Chantal Acda and beyond drums-percussion musician extraordinaire. Eric Thielemans propose a new score for Koyaanisqatsi, re-actualising the incredibly beautiful, raw, rhythmic and touching images of this 80’s cinematographic masterpiece. Slow deep electric waves, lonely synths in sonic desert landscapes, rhythmic pulses, transporting drums and bells, and deeply longing sounds and voices make up the audible fundamentals of this imagined, neo shamanic, ritualistic music to accompany the Earth as it keeps on supporting our post human frenetics even today. This release contains a selection of the musical material scored for a live performance together with the screening of the movie. The live performance premiered on Film Festival Gent and Vooruit in the fall of 2022. Tracklisting LP SIDE A 1 Koyaanisqatsi Part I / 23'36 SIDE B 2 Koyaanisqatsi Part II / 13'00 3 Koyaanisqatsi Part III / 10'48

Toots Thielemans was a jazz harmonica virtuoso from Belgium. Together with guitarist Philip Catherine, pianist Joachim Kuhn and other session musicians, he recorded the 1974 album Toots Thielemans/Philip Catherine & Friends, which was later reissued as Two Generations. The album features some of his best known works such as “Bluesette” and “Inner Journey”, which were previously cd-only compositions.

Two Generations is part of the Timeless Records 45th Anniversary Jazz Series and is available as a limited edition of 750 individually numbered copies on white coloured vinyl. The sleeve features the artwork of the
1996 reissue.

Dark-folk songwriter Chantal Acda and beyond drums-percussion musician extraordinaire Eric Thielemans propose a new score for Koyaanisqatsi, re-actualising the incredibly beautiful, raw, rhythmic and touching images of this 80-ties cinematographic masterpiece. Slow deep electric waves, lonely synths in sonic desert landscapes, rhythmic pulses, transporting drums and bells, and deeply longing sounds and voices make up the audible fundamentals of this imagined, neo shamanic, ritualistic music to accompany the Earth as it keeps on supporting our post human frenetics even today. This release contains a selection of the musical material scored for a live performance together with the screening of the movie. The live performance premiered on Film Festival Gent and Vooruit in the fall of 2022.

Currently based in Belgium, Dutch-born Chantal Acda (b. 1978) has worked under the Sleepingdog moniker since 2006, making three acclaimed albums that closed on the 'With Our Heads in the Clouds and Our Hearts in the Fields' (2010) album for which she collaborated with Adam Wiltzie (Stars of the Lid, A Winged Victory For The Sullen). They toured the UK and Benelux with Low in 2011. After all this, it was time for her first real solo record. Playing in various formations (Isbells, True Bypass, Marble Sounds) had made her conscious of the patterns that we all, as humans, share in. So, she sought out kindred spirits with whom she might record an album filled with freedom and intensity, and who were conscious of the patterns we so often fall back on. Nils Frahm was the first of these to cross her path. The inventive German pianist and producer is an intense and adventurous performer and was a perfect match for it. Acda also experienced a direct bond with Peter Broderick, a multi-instrumentalist known from his solo work (on labels such as Bella Union and Erased Tapes) and from his work with, among others, Efterklang. Cellist extraordinaire Gyda Valtysdottir from Icelandic group Múm had previously worked with Chantal as a member of the Sleepingdog live band. And lastly, Shahzad Ismaily stumbled into this picture by chance, but when Acda and he found themselves in the same room they formed an instant rapport. After this first record, 3 other solorecords followed. Chantal kept on searching for a deeper connection with the outside world and recorded "The Sparkle In Our Flaws" (2015) and "Bounce Back" (2017). She also released some live recordings with her band and also Bill Frisell, a highly respected jazz guitarist.(2018). These records were released on the German label Glitterhouse. Chantal and her band toured with these records in Europe. In 2019 Chantal created her first music/theatre performance P_wawau for Oerol Festival, The Netherlands. She worked with Valgeir Sigurdson (Björk, Bonnie Prince Billy,...) and singers from Het Nederlands Kamerkoor. As a result of this, she released the recorded music: Puwawau (2019). In 2021 Chantal released her most recent album Saturday Moon. (2021) For this album she worked with her band (Eric Thielemans, Alan Gevaert, Gaetan Vandewoude and Niels Van Heertum) but also with Bill Frisell, Shahzad Ismaily and Mimi and Alan Sparhawk (Low). Saturday Moon was very well received, internationally, by the press.

Eric Thielemans is a drummer and percussionist. Travelling across music scenes and disciplines, Thielemans navigates by means of his own compass. Most known for his resonant solo works like a Snare is a Bell, Sprang, Aural Mist and Bata Baba Loka and many collaborations with musicians in the experimental music scene, as well as the Jazz scene, and indie folk/pop/rock scenes Thielemans keeps on pushing the borders and expanding conscious aural spaces and territories. Recently, Thielemans has collaborated with PVT - a trio together with Mika Vainio & Charlemagne Palestine (album released April 2020) , PAT - a new trio together with Oren Ambarchi and Charlemagne Palestine, A new duo together with Oren Ambarchi, Billy Hart ("Talking about the Weather"), Chantal Acda ("The Sparkle in our Flaws", "Bounce Back", "Puwawau", "Saturday Moon"), Marshall Allen (Sun Ra), Tape Cuts Tape, Distance Light & Sky, Jozef Dumoulin, Trevor Dunn, Shahzad Ismaily, Vaast Colson, Nico Dockx, and many more. Currently Thielemans is working on r-e-s-o-n-a-n-c-e , a culminative work that encompasses and brings to the surface the underlying currents within his life in and with music. Withing r-e-s-o-n-a-n-c-e he investigates the everyday magic through conversations, writing and score writing to invite as many souls as possible to experience and co create the magic in the everyday.

Drei Vinylpremieren und zwei Neuauflagen füllen als hochwertige 180g-Pallas-Pressungen Lücken in der LP-Sammlung.

VINYL-PREMIEREN / BISLANG NUR ALS CD ERHÄLTLICH / REMASTERT / DOPPEL-LPs:
Till Brönner “That Summer” (2004): sommerliche Jazz-Vocals und Instrumentals, smoother Funk- und

Brazil-Grooves, noch immer eines seiner beliebtesten Verve-Alben
Barbara Dennerlein “Take Off” (1995): groovende Hammond-B3-Tracks in klassischer Verve- und BlueNote-Tradition, aufgenommen in New York mit All-Star-Band aus Roy Hargrove, Mitch Watkins, Dennis
Chambers u.a., internationaler Durchbruch von Deutschlands “First Lady of Jazz” Rolf Joachim Kühn Quartett ”Lifeline” (2012): mit den Gästen John Patitucci und Brian Blade, Gipfeltreffen zweier deutscher und zweier amerikanischer Jazzlegenden, ausgezeichnet mit dem Deutschen Schallplattenpreis VERGRIFFENE KLASSIKER ENDLICH WIEDER AUF LP / REMASTERT / 1-LP:

Elis Regina und Toots Thielemans ”Elis & Toots” (1969): aufgenommen in Stockholm, klingt aber so fröhlich und heiß wie direkt unter dem Zuckerhut in Rio entstanden, ein mitreißender Klassiker des BrasilJazz “Joyce Live At The Mojo Club” (1995): brasilianische Kultmusikerin gab rares Deutschland-Konzert im
legendären Hamburger Club und begeisterte das Publikum mit heißer Samba, Bossa Nova und MPB, ein Klassiker des Rare-Groove

360 mcn white-white light cardboard paper / one side only hand plasticization / 2 separated parts prints / hand gluing / PVC outers / original artwork / gatefold sleeve / Bandcamp limited edition 30x60 cm insert with extended liner notes by Tony Higgins and Interview with Babs Robert and Sébastien Gorlé with exclusive pictures and self-portrait by Babs Robert himself printed on GF Smith "Takeo Tant Select" Canvas Paper tip-on left jacket panel / Exclusive never released Memorabilia from Babs Robert's vault.

Personnel:
Babs Robert - alt sax, tenor-sax, electric tenor-sax, Bin Recorder, Acme siren, Chinese-bell, sleigh-bells, maracas, tambourine,hand-rattle,claves)
John Van Rymenant - baritone-sax, fluegelhorn, Bala, tambourine, sleight-bells, cowbell, triangle, claves
Johnny Peret - vibes, bongo's, cowbell, maracas, castanets, rattle-snakes, tambourine, drums, woodclock, trinagle
Johnny Brouwers - piano, prepared-piano, triangle, cowbell, sleigh-bells, maracas, caves,hand-rattle, guiro, woodblock, tambourine
Paul Dubois - bass, triangle, cowbell, claves, rattlesnakes, hand-rattle, woodblock, tambourine
Michel Gobbe - bass,Chinese-bell, claves
Robert Pernet - drum, tambourine, seven-notes M'Bichi, guiro, alarm-siren, home-made metal xylophone, African telephone-drum, triangle, sleigh-bells, Siku

Notes:
Despite its modest role on the world stage, Belgium has produced a number of internationally renowned musicians and composers. There is the iconic gypsy jazz guitar maestro Django Reinhardt, whose position remains unassailable, and guitarist/harmonica player Toots Thielemans, who became an internationally renowned artist performing and recording with Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Shirley Horn and Quincy Jones. The other key Belgian figure is composer/arranger Francy Boland, co-leader with US bebop drumming legend Kenny Clarke of Europe's leading big band of the 60s, the Clarke-Boland Big Band.

The Love Planet performed in the main clubs of Brussels, such as Blue Note, Pol's Jazz Place, and Smog as well as in major musical events throughout Belgium including to big festivals in 1969 - the Avant-Garde Festival in Ghent and the First International Jazz Event in Liege – where the Love Planet shared the bill with Miles Davis - and the Bilzen Jazz Festival in 1970. The contrast between the musical architecture of the themes and sonic freedom in the improvised playing perfectly illustrated the polymorphism – an order within disorder – which the Love Planet aimed for.

The initial original quartet line-up was Babs Robert (sax), Paul Dubois (bass), Johnny Brouwers (piano), and Johnny Peret / Robert Pernet (dru- ms). On the album session, the quartet was augmented with the addition of John Van Rjimenant (saxes) and Michel Gobbe (bass). As well as their main instruments, the band members also played an array of unusual instruments, principally percussion. This is the first official re-release
of the 'Babs Robert and the Love Planet'. Original copies of the album fetch many hundreds of Euros on the collecting circuit and it remains a curious and fascinating window into a moment in time that still resona- tes some fifty years later. Come with us to the Love Planet. (Tony Higgins)

Straight out of the local mud of the city of Antwerp comes dancing this next Souvenirs from Imaginary Cities slab of free-flowing bits of electronic wonder : Schönen Abend by Simon B. Just in time to ease you out of this endless winter and right into springtime. Like the previous hit by Purple Uncle, this flower takes some time to bloom and fill up your head and body with it's ear wormy fragrance.

It's hazy and cinematic, makes you think of Italian electronic pioneers and their library magic, Patrick Cowley's School Daze and Haruomi Hosono in some kind of gothic manner. It's quite stripped and lush at the same time, rhythms like minimal mechanics make you fly above the river and land just outside reality. It's a nice place where soft jazz tingles right around the dark corner, and that particular mix of exotica and melancholia — the trademark of this port city's best electronic auteurs is definitely in the air. The river still shines, but she’s deeply poisoned. The old town has lost every bit of fresh air but keeps on digging for old gold. This bitter pill is served with delicacy and lightness, the wound is dressed up seductively — feet in the mud, head in the air. Stuff is sensuous, with quiet places reminding of the good side of those times when the big wheel stopped turning ever so madly. A strange quietness whistles through the leaves. Some things take time to unfold. In or out of C.

Four years in the making, this is the solo debut LP of Simon B, a longtime contributor to Antwerp's improvised music scene (Groovecats Deluxe, Wij Blij Trio ). Primarily a double bass player, he also has a deep-felt passion for offbeat electronica and the rainbowy side of American minimalism, which takes front here. The smoky voice on the last track belongs to Nina-Joy Thielemans, Nina-Joy is part of Particals, a trio working with live electronics and field recordings, releasing an lp on Ultra Eczema later this year. Furthermore, you can hear the tenor and soprano saxophone of Adia Van Heerentals on 4 tracks, deepening out Simon's naturally flowing compositions and playing around with his melodies. You may know her from Bodem and her strong presence in the Belgian jazz scene lately.

Simon's electroacoustic experiments — using a clarinet and some outboard effects — were important tools in finding the very specific colour of this record. There's this airy character, like wind blowing through old layers of bricks and over the river, anchored with a deep sense of bass, gathering ages of dust and memories in these eight elegantly wobbling tracks, forming a perfect whole that’s really coming together in one deep listening from A to Z.

The centrepiece is perhaps Come to Me, instrumental and reprise with vocals, but no fillers on this one. Every part of the mystery is needed to come to its end and back again. It's a record that works in the morning, to open up a day and in the quiet corners of the night, with it's sleazy quirkiness, smiling towards you from the right corner of the eye. A perfect compagnon for your long-form wandering habits, light reflections on a wet surface obsessions, coffee slurping in the morning and the forgotten art of beachcombing. Quite essential these days, witnessing a world going apeshit.

'Mauricio and Horns' by Bossa Nova legend and harmonica master Mauricio
Einhorn is produced by Jacques Muyal, with the Idriss Boudrioua Orechestra
arranged by Rafael Rocha and with guest artists Paquito D'Rivera and Lula
Galvao
In jazz, we all know the harmonica master, Mr. "Baron" Toots Thielemans, but we are
equaly fortunate to have our "Prince", Mauricio Einhorn. His early contributions in the
1950s to the birth of the Samba Jazz movement in Brazil played a pivotal role in the
creation of Bossa Nova, a genre that quickly became an integral part of the jazz world.
The influence of jazz on Brazilian music - exemplified by the great Carlos Lyra in
"Influencia Do Jazz" - was so profound that local musicians embraced it to forge a
new musical identity. Many of Einhorn's compositions have become timeless
standards performed worldwide since the early 1950s and '60s.
Together with another giant of the scene, alto saxophonist Idriss Boudrioua,
Mauricio's music gets an even grander presentation than ever before. This time, he
teamed up with an exceptionally talented young musician: a big band arranger and
trombonist named Rafael Rocha, who wrote all the arrangements and conducted the
recordings. Rafael's arrangements are nothing short of magical. They are never
overdone, always respecting the beauty of the original harmonies while infusing them
with his deep passion for jazz. His trombone solos recall the phrasing of Frank
Rosolino, and he modulates the pieces with swirling harmonies that evoke the very
roots of Brazilian jazz. In every track, Rafael enhances Mauricio's elegant and
expressive phrases without ever overpowering the artist, creating a "wall of sound"
that gracefully floats alongside Mauricio.

Dutch-born, Belgian-based artist Chantal Acda has been releasing her music and touring internationally since 2006. Her impressive and eclectic catalog includes numerous band projects, collaborations, and solo albums. The 2024 album Silently Held, recorded with The Atlantic Drifters, is nominated in 2025 for an Edison Award in the Netherlands. Her upcoming album, The Whale, will be released on September 19, 2025, followed by an extensive European tour. The album was produced by Chris Eckman (The Walkabouts) and recorded with her live band, which she has been performing with for over a decade. The songs were co-written with band members Eric Thielemans, Alan Gevaert, Gaëtan Vandewoude, and Niels Van Heertum.

The sound of The Whale is rougher and more rock-oriented than her previous projects, but her signature introspection and vulnerability remain at the core of the music. Singles “Heads” and “Make It Work” have received airplay in Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, and Germany.

In the past, Chantal has recorded and performed with artists such as Bill Frisell, Nils Frahm, and members of Low, Múm, and Efterklang. Currently, she is also a member of the bands Distance, Light & Sky (with Chris Eckman of The Walkabouts and Eric Thielemans) and Isbells.

With ,We Do It Out of Love," acclaimed harmonica player Alex Rossi delivers a heartfelt and masterfully crafted tribute to jazz legend Toots Thielemans - one of the most influential voices ever to grace the chromatic harmonica. This album features a carefully curated selection of pieces that reflect the full emotional and musical range of Thielemans' legacy - lyrical, virtuosic, and deeply moving. Highlights include the evocative ,Waltz for Sonny," the tender ,I Do It for Your Love," and Pat Metheny's rhythmically vibrant ,Better Days Ahead" - all reimagined with fresh arrangements that honor the original spirit. Alex Rossi captures the essence of Toots' sound while adding his own voice, bridging past and present with stylistic sensitivity and precision. He is joined by a stellar lineup of internationally acclaimed harmonica players: Antonio Serrano, Gabriel Grossi, Grégoire Maret, Franco Luciani and Olivier Ker Ourio - each bringing their unique sound and deep respect for Toots' musical heritage. ,We Do It Out of Love" is more than just a tribute - it's a global celebration of the instrument Toots Thielemans elevated to poetic heights. A soulful, resonant homage filled with admiration, artistry, and, above all, love.

Red/Black marbled vinyl. With ,We Do It Out of Love," acclaimed harmonica player Alex Rossi delivers a heartfelt and masterfully crafted tribute to jazz legend Toots Thielemans - one of the most influential voices ever to grace the chromatic harmonica. This album features a carefully curated selection of pieces that reflect the full emotional and musical range of Thielemans' legacy - lyrical, virtuosic, and deeply moving. Highlights include the evocative ,Waltz for Sonny," the tender ,I Do It for Your Love," and Pat Metheny's rhythmically vibrant ,Better Days Ahead" - all reimagined with fresh arrangements that honor the original spirit. Alex Rossi captures the essence of Toots' sound while adding his own voice, bridging past and present with stylistic sensitivity and precision. He is joined by a stellar lineup of internationally acclaimed harmonica players: Antonio Serrano, Gabriel Grossi, Grégoire Maret, Franco Luciani and Olivier Ker Ourio - each bringing their unique sound and deep respect for Toots' musical heritage. ,We Do It Out of Love" is more than just a tribute - it's a global celebration of the instrument Toots Thielemans elevated to poetic heights. A soulful, resonant homage filled with admiration, artistry, and, above all, love.

‘4th DIMENSION’ is the last and probably greatest album ever recorded by Italian piano Maestro Mario Rusca. This monumental music produc"on features tracks in Nonet, Quintet and Trio. Along with the faithful rhythm sec"on composed by Riccardo Fioravan" on bass and Maxx Furian on drums, on this slamming cinema"c jazz album Mario Rusca teamed up with two extraordinary wind players: legendary Flavio Boltro (of Michel Petrucciani Quintet fame) on trumpet and Gabriele Comeglio on sax alto.

As far as the choruses are concerned, Nicole4a Tiberini, Mar"na Rossi and Alice Macchi, from Maestro Rusca’s ensemble music courses at the Civica di Jazz School, provide inspired and swinging backing vocals. The cherry on the cake, the element that gives to ‘4th DIMENSION’ a pulsa"ng and swinging’ drive, is the par"cipa"on on the album of Marco Fadda, one of Italy’s leading percussion players.

This heterogeneous ensemble has shaped, during 5 days of intense studio recordings, an absolute masterpiece full of swinging rhythms along with a few magical in"mate moments. In his 65 years career, Italian piano legend Mario Rusca has shared the stage and recording studios with luminaries such as Chet Baker, Cur"s Fuller, Gerry Mulligan, Lou Donaldson, Art Farmer, Lee Konitz, Dusko Gojkovic, Enrico Rava, Tullio De Piscopo, Kenny Clarke, Stan Getz, Toots Thielemans, Gianni Basso, Pepper Adams, Steve Lacy and Tony Sco4 (with whom he formed an indissoluble partnership).

Being accompanied in this album by extraordinary musicians, Rusca chooses to flow in a repertoire that, like in his most recent records for Mono Jazz, bridges between original pieces and revisited standards from the American Jazz Songbook, approached with unprecedented sensi"vity and depth.

The journey of ‘4th DIMENSION’ is an extraordinary cinema"c musical voyage across various styles ranging from Bop, Hard Bop, Cool, Funk and La"n Jazz. ‘4th DIMENSION’ is a perfect follow up to the interna"onally acclaimed Easy Tempo legacy! In these 13 tracks, “il Maestro” embraces and enhances a ‘cinema"c’ component in his music - an a4ribute he has long cul"vated through original soundtracks and library albums recorded for diverse cult Italian labels.

This, as we were saying, is achieved through the addi"on of percussionist Marco Fadda, who introduces a series of rhythmic nuances across several tracks, and of the extraordinary female vocal trio reminiscent of I Cantori Moderni of Alessandro Alessandroni & Edda Dell'Orso, used in the tradi"on of Italian composers of ‘60s and ‘70s film music.

This natural progression reflects Italy's history, where jazz musicians have long been involved in soundtracks and film scoring since the late ‘50s. Italian jazz has integrated this approach into its composi"on and arranging styles, as demonstrated in the first 10 volumes of the Easy Tempo series. A spirit and tradi"on that Rusca's ‘4th DIMENSION’ record con"nues. Listening to some of the tracks on the record evokes the legendary works created for cinema by Piero Umiliani, Piero Piccioni, Lelio Lu4azzi, Armando Trovajoli, Gianni Ferrio and others.

Brussels based pianist Giovanni Di Domenicowas born in Rome in 1977. Majoring in 'jazz piano' at music school - he further built on an encyclopaedic technique; rhythm, harmony and tone are informed by non-western traditions yet equally sensitive to Debussy's "Préludes", Luciano Berio's "Sequenzas", to the 'ambi-ideation' heard in Borah Bergman's Soul Note recordings, Cecil Taylor's polissemic density, Paul Bley's bruised transparency and of course, the most radical manifestations stemming from the underworld of pop music, invariably tied together by his own original praxis.
A distinction - one would call it generational - he shares with many of the musicians he has crossed paths with recently, of which we could enumerate Nate Wooley, Chris Corsano, ArveHenriksen, Jim O'Rourke, Alexandra Grimal, Tetuzi Akiyama, João Lobo or Toshimaru Nakamura.
At the request of W.E.R.F. Records, Giovanni created an entirely new repertoire, teaming up with saxophonist Alexandra Grimal and drummer Eric Thielemans. This collaboration resulted in Echolalia, a suite consisting of three parts: Aoede, Melete, and Mneme. The music is captivating, adventurous, and above all, fascinating.

Empty Empty is Cinema Paradiso's 3rd album. Cinema Paradiso functions as a trio without a leader, consisting of Kurt Van Herck (Brussels Jazz Orchestra, Dizzie Gillespie Big Band, Bert Joris Quartet), Eric Thielemans (A Snare is a Bell, EARR, Talking About the Weather) and Willem Heylen (KRAKk, Aki, Sargam).

After his guest contributions on several tracks during the recording sessions that resulted in the compilation of the first two albums (Volume I and Volume II), Jozef Dumoulin (Lidlboj, The Red Hill Orchestra, True Company) was involved in the entire creation and recording process of Empty Empty.

Now focusing on original compositions (along with some Indian chants and a piece by Claude Debussy), this album also distinguishes itself from the previous two albums by presenting a new sonic landscape. Blending the rich timbres and textures of both the acoustic and electric sonic worlds of the musicians, we were looking to get a strong, direct, full sound that still retains enough detail and acoustic warmth.

The album was recorded and mixed by Joris Caluwaerts (Stuff) at his Finster Studio in Antwerp.

Mario Rusca is most probably the biggest living Italian jazzman. His major influences are Duke Ellingtons composing abilities and Hampton Hawes' brilliant sound. He immersed himself in the harmonic inventions of the incredible pianists of the 60s and 70s: from Bud Powell to Bobby Timmons, Wynton Kelly and Bill Evans. Mario Rusca has been the house pianist of Capolinea, the most important Italian jazz club of the 70s and 80s. He went on to perform in important national and international settings-representing Italy in the "Piano Solo'' category of the "International Festival of Varsavia" and participating with his quintet at the "International Festival of Montreal". He has collaborated with a multitude of prestigious names: Chet Baker, Tony Scott, Curtis Fuller, Gerry Mulligan, Lou Donaldson, Art Farmer, Bob Berg, Lee Konitz, Dusko Gojkovic, Al Gray, Kay Winding, as well as Stefano Bagnoli, Enrico Rava, Tullio De Piscopo, Kenny Clarke, Stan Getz, Jimmy Owens, Toots Thielemans, Gianni Basso, Pepper Adams, Steve Lacy, Steve Grossman, Franco Ambrosetti, Woody Shaw, and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis. With Gerry Mulligan, in particular, he toured in 1976 and with Lee Konitz, he recorded Wheres The Blues? at the end of the 90s. In this regard, Suspension in 1975 with Tullio De Piscopo and Recreations in 1976 with the phenomenal Larry Nocella playing saxophone are still very beautiful and modern recordings. As Mario says, "In jazz, you choose the companions that you can dialogue the most with.there needs to be an interplay, there needs a...a way of feeling, which is why you choose musicians because they feel like you, or, if nothing else, they follow you". The chemistry between the three of them is perfectly aligned, synergistic. Tonys drums and Riccardos bass create a soft and essential rhythmic tapestry that never hinder the creative prowess of the band leader. Here Mario Rusca is interpreting the most dynamic jazz standards. Blues for Gwen by McCoy Tyner, Blues Walk by Lou Donaldson, Blue Minor by Sonny Clark, Turnaround by Ornette Coleman, Bass Blues by John Coltrane or even Super Jet by Tadd Dameron. You cant help but imagine yourself on top of a convertible, smiling and carefree, while they travel through the soloist progressions of Turnaround and Super Jet. We need to underline the four originals included in this recording: Blue Dream (for Allerim), Tempo Blues, Double Horn e Monochrome Blues, extremely suggestive compositions, rich of intuitions and which well exhibit Mario Rusca composition skills and his ability to play the blues. MONOCHROME BLUES is a winning trio album which will deeply please the most demanding jazz hears. The musicians Mario Rusca (piano) Riccardo Fioravanti (bass) Tony Arco (drums)