Gerald Cleaver

"Ida Lupino" is a fresh and creative album, distinguished by deep listening and focused interaction. At its centre is the remarkable improvisational rapport of two Italian musicians – pianist Giovanni Guidi and trombonist Gianluca Petrella. Their musical understanding – already apparent to listeners who heard them in Enrico Rava’s band – has been further refined in a widely-travelled duo which seeks encounters with fellow improvisers.

Gerald Cleaver’s newest album, 22/23, journeys through genre, exploring the future and recalling history, in his most place-based album yet. Born and raised in Detroit, Cleaver is a product of the Motor City’s rich musical history. Long the manufacturing capital of America, Detroit citizens have never been afraid of imagination: technological innovation, a strong labor movement, techno-utopianism or afrofuturism. This spirit of innovation is felt on Cleaver’s newest album, particularly on songs like ‘31 Julys’ which builds on dynamic house beats, or ‘Cake’ which employs saxophone to compose a careening jazz track.

How do you welcome adventure? Longtime comrades, legendary Daniel Carter, Matthew Shipp, William Parker and Gerald Cleaver investigated this in their first album, Welcome Adventure, Vol. 1, resulting in 577 Records’ best-selling release in the 20 years we’ve been operating. Now, the group is trying the question again with their second astonishing volume, taken from the same historical recording session.

Trumpeter Steph Richards’ latest full-length, Power Vibe marries avant garde and cinematic moods with an infectious and patently pleasing tunefulness. “Sensory electronics” –– subtle but compelling textures and tactile rhythms which are physically triggered by drum-mounted sensors –– compel fascination here, interweaving a kind of aural hyper-lucidity throughout the record.

Brooklyn-based bassist/composer Kenneth Jimenez presents his new work Sonnet to Silence on We Jazz Records, 17 November. Consisting of 7 original compositions by Jimenez performed by his quartet including pianist Angelica Sanchez, drummer Gerald Cleaver and saxophonist Hery Paz, Sonnet to Silence echoes the original fire of New York free jazz while stepping into a terrain of its own, boldly forward-thinking.

This new outing from sought-after drummer/composer Gerald Cleaver is a bottomless well of energy and robustness. Five rhythmically-charged self-penned tunes (four of them retrieved from his 2007 album Detroit, which featured exactly the same group as here) were performed live at Firehouse 12.

Are you ready for magic? The master musicians Daniel Carter, Matthew Shipp, William Parker and Gerald Cleaver will provide access with this album, the first they have released after playing together for decades. Daniel Carter has been collaborating with William Parker since the early 70s and with Matthew Shipp starting in the mid 80s. This trio has played together on many recordings but by adding legendary drummer Gerald Cleaver to the mix they have created a masterpiece combination; a supergroup of sorts. This all-star project is presented in two parts/LPs. This is the first volume - with volume two scheduled to be published in the near future. Listen to Welcome Adventure! and experience the mystical journey of these masterful artists as they guide you through the realm of magic.

Brandon Seabrook is a guitarist, banjoist, and composer living in New York City where he has established himself as one of the most unique and volatile guitarists of his generation. He has also made a name for himself as a powerful banjo innovator, described by Spin Magazine as “An apocalyptic, supersonic general of the banjo…” His work focuses on the juxtaposition of fragmented soundscapes, angular composition, and a massive dynamic range that can change in a nanosecond. He has released seven albums as a leader covering everything from pulverizing art-metal to chamber jazz. Rolling Stone Magazine noted, ”The fiercely dexterous musician has lunched a number of bands combining serious chops with manic intensity and a left- field compositional vision.”

Currently in the midst of an unprecedented mid-career renaissance, wildly prolific tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman has been recording for Leo Records at a frantic pace, typically issuing several new albums at a time. Released concurrently with The Edge and The Art of the Duet, Volume One is Serendipity, a title that bears out its namesake. Taped in the winter of 2011 during what was originally intended to be the session for The Foreign Legion, a bass-less trio date with Perelman's regular collaborators pianist Matthew Shipp and drummer Gerald Cleaver, this unplanned quartet effort with legendary bassist William Parker is a truly serendipitous affair.