Desert Music, the debut EP from Los Angeles percussionist Ben Rempel, is a fresh, inter-genre exploration of time at different scales. Through a combination of minimalist percussion compositions and improvisation by an ensemble of distinctive musicians, Desert Music reflects on the grand, hostile, fragile, and rough beauty in Southern California’s deserts.

Ghosts of Merced (A Four-Part Suite), by keyboardist and composer R Scott, is a musical love letter to his roots in the San Joaquin Valley and the vastness that is central California. It represents a much-traveled road from his birthplace of Merced, the gateway to the wondrous beauty of Yosemite, to the sprawling, dystopian allure of Los Angeles. Produced by Chris Schlarb and recorded at Big Ego Studio in Long Beach, California, Ghosts of Merced was created over six days during the winter chill of 2019 with an 11-piece ensemble including a drums/percussion duo, brass, piano/keyboards, string trio, vibes/marimba, woodwinds to create a wide and dynamic sonic palette. 

In October 2018, Tim Conley, Elliott Levin, Dan Rosenboom and Matt Mayhall got together at BoomHill Studios in Los Angeles for what turned out to be a supernal, one-take, no-nonsense, improvisational sonic illustration of what Conley coins “The Art of Unfolding.” This nonstop set is segmented into 14 unique tracks, each blooming into the next, as it was performed collectively. 

“Nexus Music, Vol. 1 presents my vision of music that combines the inner workings of contemporary classical music with the instrumentation and aesthetics of big band jazz. As an active composer and performer in both fields, I have a unique perspective to add to the ongoing dialogue between these two traditions. Co-produced with my close friend and collaborator, Ross Garren (who has a similarly diverse background), this album came together through years of training and experience in contemporary classical composition, studio and recording skills from producing music for film and television, and most importantly, a network of some of the finest musicians in the world.” –Nick DePinna 

Featuring jazz tenor giant, composer, author Walt Weiskopf, and three of Europe's most exciting rhythm section artists: pianist Carl Winther, bassist Andreas Lang, and drummer Anders Mogensen, the album showcases the confluence of the most sought-after and highly-acclaimed contemporary international jazz musicians of our time.