Old Oak 2023 Loach

Stephen Marley is one of the most respected artists in reggae and pop, with eight Grammy® Awards from his career as a solo artist, as a producer and as a member of his family band, Ziggy Marley and The Melody Makers. His brand-new album, Old Soul, is his fifth, and is releasing on UMe in partnership with the Marley Family, Tuff Gong and Ghetto Youth International. It’s Stephen stretching himself as a singer and songwriter, bringing along some special guests in a wide range of material beyond the reggae category.

With Call on the old Wise Nitai Hershkovits delivers an entrancing solo album. In this largely improvised solo rendering, the pianist draws from broad influences, ranging from his extensive work in jazz contexts and cutting-edge contemporary explorations to his background in classical music. This immaculate balance of idioms gives rise to an abundance of colours and timbres, explored by a pianist, who has successfully forged his very own voice as improviser and shape-designer. With a soft touch, light action and washing harmonies, Nitai’s improvisations unfold like compositions being created in real-time, making Call on the Old Wise a testimony to the pianist’s unique inventiveness as well as an essential addition to ECM’s celebrated line of solo piano recordings. The album, recorded in Lugano in 2022 and produced by Manfred Eicher, follows after his contributions in Oded Tzur’s quartet on the acclaimed recordings Here Be Dragons (2020) and Isabela (2022).