Moods And Sketches
Catalog #: BR8945
Release Date: May 13, 2016
21st CenturyJazzSolo InstrumentalPianoOn his second Big Round Records release MOODS AND SKETCHES, composer Sebastiano Meloni presents 12 improvisations for piano. Meloni’s primary interest is in making improvisation, both as a composer and as a performer. Performed on a Fazioli grand piano F278, each piece explores the different facets of improvisational language, each having a specific methodical theme.
Goin’ Home: A Retrospective
Catalog #: BR8946
Release Date: June 10, 2016
21st CenturyJazzCelloPercussionPianoGOIN’ HOME… A RETROSPECTIVE is pianist and composer Gay Pearson’s second release on Big Round Records. The album is a live recording of her most recent annual chamber-jazz concert, featuring an eclectic ensemble with Gay Pearson on piano, John Lockwood on bass, Phil McGowan on drums, Tracy McMullen on saxophone, Lea Pearson on flute, and Shannon Allen on cello. This varied ensemble performs a wide variety of music with different instrumental combinations, from Astor Piazzolla to classic tunes of Chick Corea, Harold Arlen and Jerome Kern, to more contemporary original compositions by Pearson herself.
Powell Canyons
Catalog #: BR8949
Release Date: December 1, 2017
21st CenturyJazzOrchestralOrchestraPianoRenowned Nevada-based Floridian composer, author, and teacher, Henry Wolking follows up his recent and miraculous IN SEA, with a Big Round Records re-release of POWELL CANYONS: AND OTHER ORCHESTRAL JAZZ WORKS. First released in 2000 by MMC Recordings, this stunning and effervescent album of orchestral jazz compositions is a quintessential key to understanding Wolking’s work and nature inspired aesthetic.
Big Round Sound Vol. 1
Catalog #: BR8942
Release Date: July 10, 2015
20th Century21st CenturyChamberJazzGuitarHarpPianoBig Round Record's first installment of its compilation series, BIG ROUND SOUND VOL. 1, presents a deep cross-section of the label's contemporary and eclectic catalog. From jazz and world music to folk, fusion, and progressive rock, this album features performances by Tony R. Clef, the Oscuro Quintet, Andy Jaffe and Branford Marsalis, Sophie Dunér, the Larksong Trio, Anne Vanschothorst, Juan Álamo, Jean-Philippe Grégoire, and more in works by Christina Rusnak, Svjetlana Bukvich, Sebastiano Meloni, Ecco La Musica, Bunny Beck, and others.
Marimjazzia
Catalog #: BR8933
Release Date: April 29, 2014
21st CenturyJazzPercussionWith a variety of musical flavors pulled from composers spanning Keiko Abe to Bach to Bill Evans, MARIMJAZZIA, composer and marimbist Juan Álamo's debut album on Big Round Records delivers a satisfying plate of music for the soul. Along with arrangements of two jazz standards, Waltz for Debby and Afro Blues, the album features original compositions for marimba and percussion ensemble by the composer. As to the concept behind the album, Álamo says, "It is a reflection of who I am as a human being and a synthesis of all the different musical influences and experiences I have had throughout my career." With accompaniments by the UNC Percussion Ensemble, MARIMJAZZIA brings together the warm airs of Álamo's native Puerto Rico and the influences that have kept his passion flourishing.
Peggo In Love
Catalog #: BR8902
Release Date: September 1, 2009
21st CenturyJazzVocal MusicPercussionPianoVoicePeggo Hodes soprano
An Imperfect Storm
Catalog #: BR8907
Release Date: May 25, 2010
21st CenturyJazzOrchestralBig BandOrchestraSaxophoneAndy Jaffe’s precise-yet-swinging big band jazz compositions shine on his premiere Big Round release, from a playful rendition of Nat King Cole’s Straighten Up and Fly Right to the sprawling Porticulture suite.
Sound Tapestries
Catalog #: BR8910
Release Date: August 31, 2010
21st CenturyJazzPercussionPianoSOUND TAPESTRIES features performances of Jazz classics by Bunny Beck and the Bunny Beck Trio. Each song is unique with its appeal and mood, and Beck brings them together comfortably, both with the trio and on the solo piano. Join Beck as she weaves the sounds of each track to create tapestries of music.
Marika Groove
Catalog #: BR8923
Release Date: April 1, 2012
21st CenturyJazzClarinetPercussionIn February 2012, three of today's greatest jazz musicians and arguably the world's top classical clarinetist entered Avatar Studios in New York to record a twelve-minute epic by the legendary Chick Corea. The resulting track, Marika Groove with marimbist Mika (Yoshida) Stoltzman, drummer Steve Gadd, bassist Eddie Gomez, and clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, captures the brilliance of both the composer and performers in a sprawling cut with constant interplay between the instruments and melodic marimba lines, which (Yoshida) Stoltzman navigates with ease.
Morning Moon
Catalog #: BR8924
Release Date: May 29, 2012
21st CenturyChamberJazzFlutePercussionPianoBig Round Records is proud to present MORNING MOON, the debut commercial release from the eclectic and varied Ecco La Musica. The group's seamless blending of jazz, world, chamber, and experimental music-all of which is composed by the group members themselves-highlights their ability to remain ahead of the curve of their competition, both independent and mainstream. As most artists struggle to blur the lines of genre, Ecco La Musica has them nearly erased.
Ecco La Musica seeks to connect to its audience not through an ability to be pegged into a single category, but through the spiritual and cultural aspects of their music. Firm believers in the unifying power of music and the coexistence promoted by its very craft, the group strives to expose listeners to the idea that originality and cross-cultural influences in music can lead to a global awareness of artistic integrity, the necessity for peace, and the unity of culture.
Manhattan Projections
Catalog #: BR8922
Release Date: April 24, 2012
20th CenturyJazzPercussionPianoSaxophoneBig Round Records is proud to announce its reissue of Andy Jaffe's MANHATTAN PROJECTIONS, an album of the jazz composer/pianist's works for small band repertoire. This rerelease of the jazz classic includes the original seven works from the 1984 debut, the McDaniels session tracks from the 2001 Playscape reissue, plus three bonus tracks from the Tom McClung-Andy Jaffe piano trio exclusive to this release.
Mika Marimba Madness
Catalog #: BR8920
Release Date: November 15, 2011
21st CenturyJazzPercussionPianoBig Round Records is proud to present MIKA MARIMBA MADNESS: LIVE IN CONCERT 2009, featuring a breathtaking performance from Japan's virtuoso marimbist Mika (Yoshida) Stoltzman alongside drummer Steve Gadd, bassist Eddie Gomez, and pianist Peter Stoltzman.
Standing on Chairs
Catalog #: BR8901
Release Date: December 1, 2009
21st CenturyJazzOrganPercussionPianoAllen Savedoff composer
The Berl Olswanger Show
Catalog #: BR8971
Release Date: April 22, 2022
20th CenturyJazzPianoGrab a drink, take a seat, and sway with your sweetie to the swinging sounds of pianist Berl Olswanger and his band on THE BERL OLSWANGER SHOW, Big Round Records’ fourth release of recordings by “Mr. Music of Memphis.” Recorded live in 1974, the never-before-heard album transports listeners to stageside seats as the band plays a historic set of toe-tapping tunes, from the horn-heavy Proud Mary to the country-western Green, Green Grass of Home. No matter the track, Olswanger’s presence is front and center, from his genre-blending skills and his technical chops at the piano to his ability to keep the band crisp and tight as they boogie through the set.
Volution
Catalog #: BR8976
Release Date: April 28, 2023
21st CenturyJazzPianoSaxophoneVoiceIsrael Neuman’s VOLUTION fuses the power of hip hop with the versatility of jazz to form a uniquely forceful expression. The music heard on the album hints at a number of other musical genres as well, including rhythm and blues and middle-eastern folk music, to name a few. Vocalists including AceKidd and Cole Bracey rap and sing over the kaleidoscopic timbres created by Neuman’s music. In Tear It Down, AceKidd’s lyrics decry systemic injustice with lines like “man down/oh but you won’t lend a hand out/pressed down expecting us to stand down.” In Rough, a lovesick Cole Bracey croons “I’m worthless without your love/I’m spinning…Oh it’s rough.” With evocative lyrics, masterful modulations, and a smooth blend of celebrated musical styles, VOLUTION invites a wide audience of music lovers to the table.
The Oxtet Does Hindemith
Catalog #: BR8977
Release Date: May 12, 2023
21st CenturyJazzGuitarPercussionTrumpetTHE OXTET DOES HINDEMITH from Josh Oxford is a bold reimagining of classical music in a jazz fusion context. In this album, Oxford revisits some of Paul Hindemith’s greatest works. Hindemith, a late Romantic German composer, lived during the first half of the 20th century and was among the most significant composers of his time. The album contains sonatas for trumpet, tuba, trombone, and more, in which tonically complex horn lines weave above a jazz band. Recorded at Pyramid Sound in Ithaca and at Ithaca College, the timbres of the various horns along with marimba, Fender Rhodes, drums, electric guitar and bass, and more, are rendered in high fidelity. THE OXTET DOES HINDEMITH features the music of this legendary composer as you’ve never heard it before.
When Gaia Falls
Catalog #: BR8979
Release Date: August 25, 2023
21st CenturyJazzElectroacousticPianoVoiceWHEN GAIA FALLS from composer Bradford Blackburn is an environmental call for action in the face of climate change manifested through musical, literary, and sonic eclecticism as a medium of universality. Its central message? There is no better time to save the future than the present. From the body of electroacoustic, choral, and chamber works emerge a trio of narrative sub texts. The first, to simplify our needs and desires, the second, to make ecologically sustainable choices, and the third, to pursue positive change as a society. Bradford calls upon several artists to drive his message home in this release, spanning a variety of genres and moods that make a compelling case.
You Loved Me Then
Catalog #: BR8982
Release Date: September 8, 2023
21st CenturyJazzVocal MusicPianoSaxophoneVoiceYOU LOVED ME THEN, David Harris’ first album of originals in over 30 years, reflects his eclectic musical journey. It began when his father played him the works of Romantic composers like Chopin and Schuman, continued to his grade school encounters with the Beatles and The Doors, and was crowned by his teenage discovery of John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, and most importantly, Thelonious Monk. Harris estimates that he has written somewhere around 3,000 jazz, pop, and classical compositions. With the help of renowned pianist Paul English and a cadre of exceptional jazz talents, Harris brings some of his favorites to life on this Big Round Records release.
Berl Olswanger in the Studio
Catalog #: BR8980
Release Date: September 8, 2023
20th CenturyJazzPianoVoiceBerl Olswanger, “Mr. Music of Memphis,” returns for a fifth installment of timeless archival recordings on Big Round Records with BERL OLSWANGER IN THE STUDIO. This never-before-heard collection transports listeners back to the pianist’s private studio in 1950’s Memphis where he recorded his early compositions, some of which went on to become fully orchestrated tracks on the 2021 release BERL OLSWANGER AT PEPPER RECORDS. With a smooth blend of blues, country, boogie-woogie, and ragtime influences, Olswanger delivers tunes that capture the popular sounds of the era. From the strong stride piano solo in Chicken Bone Man to the fluttering fills in Tennessee Skidoo, Olswanger’s inimitable approach shines through, inviting listeners into his private studio to witness an early period of the piano great’s legacy.
PRISM
Catalog #: BR8981
Release Date: September 8, 2023
21st CenturyChamberJazzTromboneTrumpetWhen thinking of versatile instrumental setups, the brass quintet might not be the first thing that comes to mind. A grave oversight, according to Alias Brass Company, an all-American brass ensemble which aims to change any such preconceived notions with their vibrant renditions of highly diverse and inclusive music on PRISM from Big Round Records. The versatility in terms of style, mood, and genre is absolutely stunning, whether it's a film soundtrack (Gabriel's Oboe, Over the Rainbow), an obelisk of Baroque music (J.S. Bach's Little Fugue in G Minor), a Christian hymn (Amazing Grace) or a blues standard (St. James Infirmary), the Alias Brass Company navigates the territory with mesmerizing panache. Audacious and bold!