GUP LIFE, the vibrant and subversive debut of progressive jazz quartet SNOW NERDS, comes onto the Los Angeles improvised music scene with attitude, ernest, and no shortage of absurdist humor. With devilish hooks, hard-hitting instrumental performances, and thought-provoking composition, this record is a breath of fresh air to those who seek an alternative to the desire-to-impress that so often plague the world of academic music.

Generally speaking, there is nothing remarkable about the idea of a brother and sister playing together. Images of children involved in some privately invented game spring to mind. In the case of brother and sister Scot and Vicki Ray, included in the idea would have to be playing music together in their Great Falls, Montana, living room, Scot on brass instruments—eventually settling on the trombone—and older sister Vicki on the piano. At that point in their young lives there may have been little in their imaginations to predict that each of them would eventually occupy a spot at the vanguard of creative music making. 

One of the most in-demand jazz drummers in Los Angeles unites with two legendary musicians to release her debut album as a leader, Left Right Left. Inspired by the recent political climate, Tina Raymond collected and arranged songs from America’s history that express ideals of unity, peace, and equality. The album references modern, avant-garde, gospel, and traditional jazz - styles of music pianist Art Lande and bassist Putter Smith have played throughout their extensive careers.

The music of Skyward Eye is presented in two chapters, both full of compositional breadth, improvised soundscapes and purposeful solos... Songs flow in and out of one another, crafted with care and purpose. Voices and metal chairs became drum hits, saxophone mouthpieces became war-cries, and the breath of a choir became the sound of ghosts of battle, and the laughter of children in the distance. For the group, Skyward Eye became a film without actors, a book without words.

Voices in the Void, the fifth release by LA/NYC electronic jazz-rock outfit DR. MiNT presents the band’s most evolved and exciting work to date. Each tune is spontaneously conceived, as the band employs a potent combination of skeletal composition, extensive improvisation, and rhythmic themes from a multitude of genres; improvisation, electronica, and heavy rock influences lay the foundation for the horns to shape winding melodies and dynamic solos. As a whole, the album’s arc weaves a rich musical-tapestry born of the band’s decade-long association and collective musical experience.