First Andy Laverne

Andy LaVerne, a veteran of over five decades in performing, composing and educating often teaches master classes at the famed Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshop. At this workshop in 2019 Andy LaVerne met and performed with Zak Brock for the first time. The Grammy Award Winning violinist Zak Brock left huge impression on the pianist. Andy invited Zak to record together three months later. The collaboration between LaVerne the master of reharmonization and contrafacts and Zak the star member of the crossover group Snarky Puppy turned out to be a true Rhapsody with an intriguing program.

LaVerne and Abercrombie, longtime musical collaborators and friends, first met in 1968 in Boston while both were students at the Berklee College, and got their inspiration from Bill Evans and Jim Hall. Well schooled in the theory of jazz, both have been playing, teaching, and giving Masterclasses for students and audiences in Colleges and Universities worldwide for many years.

Italian label Comet Records restores all nine cuts to this 1980 Stan Getz performance on Empty Shells: The Complete Cannes Concert, which had been variously released with missing tracks. Finding the "cool school" tenor saxophonist in a mix of straight-ahead and fusion styles, the recording illuminates the work Getz did with his quintet of the period, featuring keyboardist Andy LaVerne, guitarist Chuck Loeb, bassist Brian Bromberg, and drummer Victor Jones. While many of the ex-Herdsman's recordings after 1965's Sweet Rain are by no means essential listening - barring 1972's stellar Captain Marvel – Empty Shells does showcase Getz in an expansive, funky, and searching ensemble that epitomizes the best of the mainstream electronic jazz movement…

Though Gary Versace’s discography has so far been mostly occupied with his B-3 recordings, here his new album, the 5th on SteepleChase is the very first strictly piano trio which reveals Versace’s intuitively intelligent touch and inventiveness on piano. Fellow pianist Andy LaVerne who is the author of the liner notes sums up his commentary in saying, “It’s gratifying and inspiring to witness the ascension of Gary’s musical endeavors and creativity from his wide ranging exemplary sideman work (which includes my piano/ organ trio with five SteepleChase releases), to assuming the helm of his own forward leaning piano trio.”

Woody Herman always went out of his way during his long career to encourage younger players, often persuading them to write arrangements of recent tunes for his orchestra. On this recording one gets to hear his band interpret such selections as Chick Corea's "La Fiesta," Leon Russell's "A Song for You," "Freedom Jazz Dance," "A Child Is Born" and "Giant Steps"; what other bandleader from the '30s would have performed such modern material? With strong solo work from tenors Gregory Herbert and Frank Tiberi, trumpeter Bill Stapleton and Herman himself, this is an impressive effort.