Ballast, the coiled, stimulating album Los Angeles jazzman Gavin Templeton has been crafting for more than a year, was inspired by a range of thought and experience that continues to drive Templeton – and now, thanks to its febrile, probing nature, us. This tough, hopeful recording is uncompromisingly modern, mostly hard, but at times unexpectedly, disarmingly sweet. And while most of its source material is uneasy, joy, even jauntiness, peek out.

A haunting and meditative exploration of subtlety and sonic space, Christine Tavolacci's hypnotic flute, and Bonnie Whiting's quietly insistent percussion give life to this transportive performance of John Cage's landmark piece, Ryoanji, inspired by the legendary Japanese rock garden. This special release will be a limited edition hand-made package by Eron Rauch and features writing by composer Carolyn Chen.

Screaming harpies, preying mantises, and a needle drilling through the Earth's core? Sounds like metal to me! But what makes Jake Vossler and Aaron McLendon's guitar-drums duo opus Versus an incredible standout in the genre and beyond isn't its speed, brutality, or heaviness. It's the uncanny ESP on display, the immediacy of communication in improvisation, shared sense of imagination, and virtuosity not as instrumentalists, but as mind-readers.

Los Angeles based pianist and composer, Cathlene Pineda’s second Orenda Records album, Passing: A California Suite stands out as a unique and original voice in the jazz world. Pineda’s artful compositions, her quartet’s cohesive sound and understated virtuosity, and her creative use of poetry and original artwork tell a story that connects to the core of the human experience. 

For the final week of 2015, we are offering 20% off anything in our store, including our "best deal in town" subscription series, and a whopping 35% off if you purchase our entire digital discography!