Autumn Eternal

This 1989 recording, once available through the now-defunct, France-based Owl record label, has been brought back from the proverbial ashes by Sunnyside. Venerable modern jazz drummer Aldo Romano and highly regarded saxophonist Joe Lovano go for the gusto throughout these generally upbeat duets. Essentially, it's what many fans of these two important jazz musicians would come to expect. On this release, Lovano perpetuates a surfeit of soul-stirring lines amid plenty of dynamics atop Romano's swarming swing grooves. With pieces such as "Dragons Are" and elsewhere throughout the program, the duo seemingly emulates the hustle and bustle ordinarily heard when artists venture into the free zone. The duo also displays a soft touch in spots, but the bulk of these works primarily consist of high-octane improvisational sequences.

Pianist Peter Kater has orchestrated a gentle, introspective series of ambient chamber works dedicated to the four elements: Earth, Water, Fire, and Air. Each CD is distinctive, with Water living up to its title by being the most free-flowing of them all. Using long, pensive pauses and melodies that elongate over time, the music borders on classical–often echoing classical themes, such as the Satie-like ostinato of "Water Ballet," without overtly lifting from them. Water comes close to the painfully serene sound you might associate with Arvo Pärt.

Having appeared on over 100 albums as either leader or sideman, across a career spanning four decades, Sonny Stitt remains one of the best-documented musicians in all of jazz history. A master of the saxophone - primarily alto and tenor - Stitt s tireless dedication to recording, touring and the jazz genre in general was renowned, earning him the moniker lone wolf from acclaimed jazz critic Dan Morgenstern. With a plethora of classic records under both his own name and alongside other greats - including Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey and Gene Ammons - Stitt carved out a legacy as one of the foremost players to have worked in the bebop and hard bop idioms. This four disc collection, containing over five hours of music from eight original, remastered LPs, collates the very best of Sonny Stitt s extensive catalogue of albums released between 1957 and 1963. Featuring too appearances from a wide range of other jazz greats, and demonstrating Stitt s extraordinary skill on both the alto and tenor saxophones, this compilation serve as both a perfect introduction to this master musician, and as a welcome reminder of why, some 35 years after his passing in 1982, he retains such respect and acclaim among the jazz cognoscenti.

Steve Gunn's Time Off was one of the great surprises of 2013. Not because it showcased his already considerable skills as a guitarist, but because he discovered his strength as a songwriter too. Way Out Weather, written during his global travels over the last year, is ambitious. Its musical architecture is more focused yet its production is more spacious. Gunn employs a larger band here – drummer John Truscinski, bassist/producer Justin Tripp, banjo player and soundscape artist Nathan Bowles, harpist Mary Lattimore, Rhyton's Jimy Seitang, and multi-instrumentalist/engineer Justin Meagher.

The complete collection of Achim Reichel’s innovative avant-garde project in the early 1970s. The lavishly designed 10 CD box-set includes all five studio albums and almost five hours of rare and unreleased music, a new remix-album – Virtual Journey – as well as a hardcover book with the artist’s own liner notes. A lucky accident was the catalyst. In Hamburg in the early 70s, while playing with his new Akai X330D tape machine, Achim Reichel discovered he could build soundscapes of guitar echoes and add even more simultaneously. He spent hours in his room with headphones on, growing his orchestra of guitars. A.R. & Machines recorded five studio albums. Their debut, “Die grüne Reise”, – The Green Journey – was released in 1971 on tape cassette and vinyl, and was met with complete confusion, even from the music press, who had no genre-drawer to stick it into, and is a lasting Krautrock monument captured on tape.