LINER NOTES with David Bixler featuring Aruán Ortiz

Créole Renaissance is the latest offering from pianist Aruán Ortiz on Intakt Records. This solo piano record draws its inspiration from the Négritude movement that originated in Paris in the early part of the 20th century that was established to counteract the anti-colonialism attitudes that many black artists in Paris faced as they worked in their various disciplines. In this episode of LINER NOTES, Aruán describes the inspiration that he was able to draw from this movement and reflects on the parallels he encounters as a Cuban-American living in New York City in 2025.  

For nearly forty years, trumpeter Joe Magnarelli has been a fixture on the New York City jazz scene, gracing the bandstands of icons like Brother Jack McDuff, Lionel Hampton, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and Harry Connick Jr. While playing with these legends, he continued to hone his skills in a variety of small groups, both as a sideman and a leader. His latest work, Concord, is a testament to that unyielding drive. The title, a word defined as "agreement or harmony between people or groups," is a fitting reflection of the music on this album. This new recording, his third for the SteepleChase label, finds Magnarelli in a quartet setting, featuring  pianist Victor Gould, bassist Paul Sikivie, and drummer Rodney Green.  

Ten years after his release Flip-Flop, John Yao returns with Points of Time, a new recording that showcases his significant growth as both a composer and improviser. The album draws inspiration from deeply personal experiences, specifically his wife's battle with cancer and the subsequent birth of their son after her recovery. Yao has brought together an exceptional group of some of New York City's top musicians, who not only perform his intricate compositions flawlessly but also contribute highly individualized and compelling solos to the project.  

Tenor saxophonist Rico Jones's debut recording, Bloodlines, is a thoughtful exploration of his Latino and indigenous heritage. Recorded live at Ornithology in Brooklyn, the album features Jones alongside guitarist Max Light, and veteran musicians Joe Martin on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums.   In this episode of LINER NOTES, Jones reflects on his quest for the Divine in his music as well as the significant input from the friends and family who have shaped this musical journey.  

Tenor saxophonist Rich Perry might be most recognized from his long term associations with both the Maria Schneider and Vanguard Jazz Orchestras, but where he truly shines is fronting his quartet with pianist Gary Versace, bassist Jay Anderson, and Vanguard band mate John Riley on drums and cymbals. In this episode of LINER NOTES we discuss the music and musicians on Progression, his fourth recording on the Steeplechase label with this line-up.  

Known for his many exploratory projects, percussionist Adam Rudolph’s latest  recording, Beingness, features saxophonist Dave Liebman and drummer Billy Hart. The music was recorded over two nights from a residency at New York City’s Stone and captures three venerated musicians in selfless conversation. In this episode of LINER NOTES Adam shares insight into his creative process taking a deep dive into the rhythmic and intervallic concepts that drive his work.

Pianist Eric Reed calls on tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Joe Farnsworth to join him on his new recording Out Late on Smoke Sessions Records. The record, which will be available on May 16, features seven originals that were intended to get this group of well-known musicians out of their comfort zones. In addition to our conversation in this episode of LINER NOTES, Eric uses the piano to give the listener a behind the scenes peek into his process and musical thought life.

AI-labor saving tool or existential threat? On his new recording Server Farm, saxophonist and composer Jon Irabagon contemplates the potential threat and promise of this omni-present technology. For this recording Irabagon augments his regular quartet consisting of keyboardist Matt Mitchell, bassist Chris Lightcap, and percussionist Dan Weiss with violinist and vocalist Mazz Smith, trumpeter Peter Evans, guitarists Miles Okazaki and Wendy Eisenberg, bassist Michael Formanek, and percussionist and electronic musician Levy Lorenzo. Imitating AI, Jon spent several years doing a deep dive into the musical output of his collaborators, mining their entire catalogues for ideas that create the foundation of the music on this exciting recording.   

Drummer and composer Allison Miller begins 2025 with several diverse and exciting projects. Big and Lovely, a recording of her original music with the University of North Texas One O’Clock Lab Band was released on January 10. On February 2 at 3pm at the 92nd Street Y in NYC Allison will present Rivers In Our Veins, an ambitious multi-media work featuring the award-winning dancer Michelle Dorrance as a special guest and features three additional dancers: Claudia Rahardjanoto, Maleek Washington and Luke Hickey, plus live video projections by Todd Winkler and an ensemble that features violinist Jenny Scheinman, pianist Carmen Staaf, trumpeter Jason Palmer, clarinetist Ben Goldberg and bassist Rashaan Carter.  Lastly, Artemis, Downbeat magazine’s group of the year, makes its debut at the Village Vanguard the week of March 4.  

2024 has been a productive year for LA based pianist and composer John Beasley. He released three new recordings, two of which are up for GRAMMY awards. Nominated in the category of “Best Latin Jazz Album” is El Trio on Challenge Records which features bassist Jose Gola and drummer Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez. The second nomination in the category of  “Best Large Ensemble Album” is for the recording Returning to Forever, a reimagining of Chick Corea’s Return to Forever with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band on Candid Records.