MUSIC

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, I’ve recorded a new album — Apollo Eleven Songs. Is it a jazz album? I’d say so (although you have to give it a few minutes for that to be obvious). It’s got great playing and soloing by Tim Clarke (trumpet), Mike DiGiacomo (tenor sax), Harry Graser (piano, rhodes, and moog solos), Jon Lehning (soprano sax), and Rob Lynch (drums), with me on bass, guitar, and additional keyboards. But it also features lots of analog synthesizers, wordless vocals by Alex Lynne, and orchestral flavors. The eleven songs each evoke a different portion of the mission, and while it’s not a soundtrack, it certainly has a soundtrack-like feel at times.

Each of the songs is available individually, but the recommended way to listen (at least the first time) is the full version which connects all the songs into one continuous piece that takes you on a quarter million mile trip full of tension, excitement, solitude, and joy.

Hopefully, it’s unlike anything you’ve heard before.

FEATURING:

Tim Clarke
Mike DiGiacomo
Harry Graser
Jon Lehning
Rob Lynch
Alex Lynne

PREVIEWS:
Magnificent Desolation
One Small Step
The Sea of Tranquility
Translunar Coast
Truly Alone

As beguilingly understated as the very satellite it’s named for, Luna is an album of original jazz compositions by bassist, composer, and producer Jonathan Hughes. While there are plenty of moments to tastefully showcase his refined and fastidious bass playing — both as a soloist and an accompanist — Luna is first and foremost an ensemble piece, with contributions from Tim Clarke (trumpet), Harry Graser (piano), Rob Lynch (drums) and more. With finesse and aplomb, Hughes reinterprets a contemporary jazz sound, weaving in elements of bossa nova, funk, and fusion. The exquisite ballad “Mauveine” is as sophisticated as it is plaintive, while “Planet Earth” evokes a noirish moonscape that would not sound entirely out of place with Hughes’s early ambient compositions. The album’s melancholic conclusion, “Canaveral,” is a neo-soul-infused waltz, which is to say that Luna is an album about exploration and invention. It is as much about jazz as it is about art and aesthetics. Luna is available on Bandcamp, iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Spotify, and many other digital retailers.

FEATURING:

Dee Adams
John Bacon
Kelly Bucheger
Tim Clarke
Mike Criscione
Mike DiGiacomo
Harry Graser
Guillermo Izquierdo
Rob Lynch
Lenny Pommefrite
Joe Rozler
Ray Skalski

GET IT HERE: