Founded in 2013 by Grammy nominated pianist Aron Kallay, the non-profit Brightwork newmusic’s mission is to enliven and expand contemporary classical music with a focus on West Coast composers and performers. The members of its in-house band Brightwork Ensemble, including Kallay, percussionist Nick Terry, violinist Shalini Vajayan and most prominently soprano Stacey Fraser, are among the most treasured and impactful chamber musicians in the world. The group’s full length debu

Long celebrated for his bravura playing and facility for making complex music and fingering look effortless, world renowned classical saxophonist Timothy McAllister has long been celebrated as a powerful interpreter of works by Pulitzer Prize winning composers such as John Adams (“Saxophone Concerto”) and John Corigliano, whose “Triathlon” was showcased when McAllister made his NY Phil debut in March 2025. When he joined forces with famed collaborative pianist Liz Ames for Pr

In 2021, drawing on her ever-fascinating palette of sonic intricacies via an array of synths, guitars, South American and Native American drums, visionary new age ambient composer and multi-instrumentalist Deborah Martin conceived the perfect way to celebrate her 30th anniversary with Spotted Peccary Music. She invited longtime friend, veteran recording artist and oboe and English Horn virtuoso to her Dreaming Edge Studio in Washington, where the two launched the first of a f

In my recent glowing writeup on The Fifth Hammer , yet another epic collection by Martin Walker’s enigmatic musical alter ego Art Schop, I heaped praise on the singer/songwriter and philosophy and fiction writer’s obtuse poetic lyrics, dark, moody and spaciously atmospheric aesthetic and sublimely haunting Leonard Cohenish voice while also noting how “with every turn of phrase, he inspires us to Google frantically to expand our knowledge of history, philosophy and historical

The story behind the creation of Richard Dillon’s latest heartfelt, rhythmically eclectic and deeply soulful solo piano based album Fernweh: The Need to Travel  reflects the fascinating and intuitive camaraderie between the artist and another masterful new age piano veteran, Neil Patton.    The two first met some years ago at a Whisperings Solo Piano gathering in L.A. and quickly became great fans and supporters of each other’s music and individual careers. In 2016, Patton tr

The inspiring and empowering culmination of over 50-plus years exploring the wondrous possibilities of his cherished instrument, Derek Wille’s latest solo piano album The Weight of the Sky  is more than simply another melodically compelling, free-flowing and rhythmically eclectic work from a masterful new age artist and composer. From the graceful, dreamily romantic opening piece “Eyes Across a Room” – inspired by the transcendent moment when he first met his wife – through t

Before we immerse in the fascinating mercurial splendors of the Jay D’Amico Trio’s richly expressive, infectiously lyrical album Ginevra: a portrait of little girl blue  – a classically-tinged collection inspired by Da Vinci’s late 1470’s painting Ginevra de' Benci - it makes sense to mention the lavish musical outpouring given over the years to the painter’s most famous work. Everyone knows Nat King Cole’s 1950 classic “Mona Lisa,” but in the current millennium, she’s inspir

While prolific pianist and composer Ed Bazel had released several previous albums and enjoyed a lengthy, multi-faceted career as a performer and entrepreneur, nothing prepared the new age/ambient genre for his emergence to true stardom in the genre when he dropped The London Sessions: Reflections from Studio 2  in 2022. Beyond the dreamlike, feel-good story of a lifelong Beatles fan – who watched them transform the cultural landscape on The Ed Sullivan Show as a wide-eyed sev

In addition to a deep solo discography dating back to 1998, veteran, supremely versatile drummer Chris Wabich has enjoyed a rollicking, multi-genre career that includes stints with the likes of Ludacris, Sting, the Zappa Family, Omar Furik, Stanley Jordan, Mark Murphy, Brian Bromberg and Leonard Cohen. He draws particularly on the poetic influences of Cohen, Furik and Murphy on his inviting and immersive, alternately meditative, easy grooving and wildly intoxicating trio date

The soulful, rhythmic and impressionistic moods on Confluence, the compelling, richly exploratory debut EP by the Jung Stratmann Quartet, is rooted in and is an impressive, continuously shape-shifting outgrowth of the improvisational blend of drums and bass, lo-fi and electronic styles South Koren pianist Sujae Jung and German bassist Wolf Robert Stratmann create in their improv ensemble Airplane Ears. Truly an offbeat, freewheeling international jazz affair, the duo expands

Ever since Lionel Hampton recorded on Louis Armstong’s “Memories of You” in 1930, the vibraphone’s unique and expressive sound, versatility and improvisational potential have been an integral part of the jazz experience. Bringing exciting contemporary sensibilities, a freewheeling, rhythmically eclectic style and keen storytelling abilities to the near century old tradition, veteran Austin TX vibes player and educator Carolyn Trowbridge emphatically puts her own exciting stam

The release of the masterfully conceived, arranged and performed Classics Reimagined: Impromp2  by the Ted Rosenthal Trio caps an incredibly creative and prolific year for the legendary pianist, who launched his illustrious career 37 years ago by winning the Thelonious Monk International Competition. The third in a series of four thematic albums, Classics Reimagined ’s freshly spun, alternately sensitive/exquisite and rambunctiously swinging takes on renowned pieces by classi