Rob Clearfield a Circle

Arba - Borochov's fourth album as leader, was recorded in 2022 with his quartet of in-demand New York musicians and Grammy award-winning producer Matt Pierson, and is due for release on 8th September 2023 on Greenleaf Music. The nine original compositions celebrate an emergence from a time of hopelessness and loss to a recognition of faith in the radiant life-force. Borochov performs on a custom-made Monette 4-valve quarter-tone trumpet which he uses to incorporate Maqams into his playing (the middle-eastern microtonal modes that are the musical language of his traditional upbringing).

The Man Who Sold The World David Bowie’s landmark entry into the 1970s not only began the collaboration with guitarist Mick Ronson that would continue with such Bowie classics as Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane, it kicked off a 10-year run of indispensable albums stretching through 1980’s Scary Monsters.

Bach in a Circle proposes an encounter between the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and the Sufi whirling dervishes, weaved around a programme where the pieces are in a dialogue, questioning the mysteries of the human soul and reflecting the movements of the Universe. Bach in a Circle also explores the ‘recycled’ aspect of musical arrangements : at the beginning of the 20th century, great pianists such as Busoni, Kempff and Siloti transcribed the works of Bach for the modern piano, illustrating the fact that his music calls to be revisited and rediscovered.

Disneyland After Dark's second full-length, 1987's D:A:D Draws a Circle, is where they begin to find their hard rock voice, albeit tentatively, as there's still widespread experimenting with countless songwriting styles throughout – not always with great results. Manic opener "Isn't That Wild" sets a surprisingly frenzied pace (revisited later on the rebellious stomp of "I Won't Cut My Hair," and the hilariously blasphemous "God's Favourite"), but soon gives way to an appropriately low-key cover of America's "Horse With no Name."

Although Harold Ousley is not a big name in the jazz world and has only recorded sporadically as a leader, the hard bop/soul-jazz musician has backed some major jazz artists over the years.
"That’s When We Thought Of Love" was recorded in 1986 (and released only in 1994 on J’s Way Records) with Ousley, pianist James Weidman, bassist Don Gladstone, drummer Curtis Boyd, and guitarist Greg Skaff. It is a nice and relaxed session. But what really makes it special is the guest apperance of male jazz singer, Little Jimmy Scott on three tracks, "All Of Me", "Pennies From Heaven" and "Time After Time".

“I tend to write emotionally. That is to say, when I reach in to the abstract space of musical possibilities, the tiny bit I can capture, I tend to let these transient melodies/rhythms and subsequent harmonies, increasingly familiar somehow, guide me through the most natural dynamic and flow of energy from event to event. These fragile moments, subtle and monumental, occupy long form song structures in Sifting Stars. This music and lyrics is concerned with fantasy and redemption, and I exploited every opportunity to coax the most lush and expressive motion. While this collection of music is perhaps stylistically furthest away from my jazz informed roots than in previous work, with this classical instrumentation and atmosphere, brimming with romantic gestures, and it’s mostly through-composed nature, I feel that much of the harmonic and rhythmic palettes still reflects my relationship with jazz and new music through a certain rhythmic aesthetic, emotional intent, and vibe.