Endsley

Ben and his group Think Free focus on melody, groove and texture in equal measures, engaging in the kind of group interplay that has become a hallmark of Ben's style.

The Distance represents a grand creative leap for bassist-composer Michael Formanek, following two widely lauded ECM releases featuring his quartet with Tim Berne, Craig Taborn and Gerald Cleaver. The new album showcases his texturally rich compositions for the dynamic 18-piece big band he has playfully dubbed Ensemble Kolossus. The project saw some of the most distinctive musicians on the New York scene bonding to realize Formaneks epic design, as he re-imagined what a big-band can be. Channeling sounds from the classic to the modern, he also composed for individual soloists in the Ellingtonian tradition.

The haiku of the soul becomes transparent through Manoshi Chitra Neogy’s Word Art. As an acclaimed poet who seamlessly and powerfully melds vision and poetry resulting in an alternative thought provoking and sensual art form, Wood Orchid. Coined and conceived in the vast sky country of New Mexico, her poetry becomes a sculpted tapestry of a visioned nuance of the art of word. Seeking to sculpt the echo of the soul, Neogy’s Word Art is the cry of the feminine mystique and the fire of the divine feminine. With the intention and attention to a conscious expression of one’s creative center, Wood Orchid captures and embodies the sounds and magical embrace of that inner vibration.

The acknowledged architect of the Nashville Countrypolitan Sound, producer/guitarist CHET ATKINS is known for his signature, finger-pickin' playing style. Alongside pianist Floyd Cramer, Chet was perhaps the most important figure in Nashville's celebrated 'A' Team of session players. This is the second release in a series which will similarly explore the careers further Nashville 'A' Team Session players, e.g. Hank Garland, Grady Martin, Boots Randolph, etc.