What Do We Do Now is the fifth solo studio LP recorded by J Mascis since 1996. This is obviously not a very aggressive release schedule, but when you figure in the live albums, guest spots, and records done with his various other bands (Dinosaur Jr., The Fog, Heavy Blanket, Witch, Sweet Apple, and so on), well, to paraphrase Lou Reed, “J's week beats your year.”

What Do We Do Now began to come together during the waning days of the Pandemic. Utilizing his own Bisquiteen Studio, J started working on writing a series of tunes on acoustic with a different dynamic than the stuff he creates for Dino. “When I'm writing for the band,” he says, “I'm always trying to think of doing things Lou and Murph would fit into. For myself, I'm thinking more about what I can do with just an acoustic guitar, even for the leads. Of course, this time, I added full drums and electric leads, although the rhythm parts are still all acoustic. Usually, I try to do the solo stuff more simply so I can play it by myself, but I really wanted to add the drums. Once that started, everything else just fell into place. So it ended up sounding a lot more like a band record. I dunno why I did that exactly, but it's just what happened.”

Two guest musicians are playing this time out; Western Mass local Ken Mauri (of the B52s) plays piano on several tracks. Since J himself has some experience with keys, when asked why he needed a hired gun, he says, “Ken is great, and he plays all the keys. I tried playing some keyboards on the first Fog album, but I'm really only comfortable playing the white notes, so it's kind of limiting. [laughs] Nowadays, I could just turn the pitch on a mini Mellotron to play different sounds, but black keys just seem hard. For whatever reason, I just like banging on the white ones. Seems like it's harder to figure out how to stretch your fingers around the other ones.”

Mauri has no such qualms and plays all the keys very damn well. He sounds especially great on “I Can't Find You,” where he is Jack Nitzsche to J's Neil Young, creating one of the album's loveliest tunes. The other guest musician, Matthew “Doc” Dunn, is also prominent on this track. Dunn's steel guitar manages to both widen and soften the musical edges of the music, giving it a full classicist profile. Dunn is an Ontario-based polymath who J met through Matt Valentine. After J played on Doc's great 2022 Sub Pop single, “Your Feel,” he figured it was time for payback. Both Dunn and Mauri add beautifully to the songs here, helping to transform them from acoustic sketches into full-blown post-core power ballads.

What Do We Do Now is the finest set of solo tunes J has yet penned, and the way they're presented is just about perfect. Asked if he would be touring to support the album, J says he'll be doing some weekend dates, but he probably won't be putting a band together. And I'm sure these songs will sound great solo and acoustic, but the arrangements on this album are truly great and put a cool, different spin on Mascis' instantly recognizable approach to making music.

So, what do we do now? Not sure. But apparently, what J does is to make one of his most killer records ever. Hats off to him.

–Byron Coley

Acclaimed vibraphonist Joel Ross returns with the release of his remarkable album nublues, a collection of ballads and blues as seen through the lens of one of the most creative modern jazz groups featuring Immanuel Wilkins, Jeremy Corren, Kanoa Mendenhall, and Jeremy Dutton, as well as special guest Gabrielle Garo. The band moves seamlessly across the blues-imbued musical terrain of this 10-track set which includes 7 new Ross originals and pieces by John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk.

“New Blue Sun is the continuation of discovery for me. My entire career has been fueled by this and it is the only thing that keeps me honest. This album is the most honest and interesting offering I can give today. I never could have imagined in high school, when I started rapping and doing music that I would be here right now playing wind instruments. Ha. This life ride always surprises me. I’m here for it.” — Andre 3000

This limited edition 3-LP vinyl is pressed on 180g black vinyl with fold out poster, printed inner sleeves and note from the artist.

Bassist and composer Marcel Bonfim’s debut album, Farewell / Despedida, features a set of original compositions and two unique cover arrangements, introducing listeners to his world of influences and experiences from growing up in Brazil then coming to the United States. Ranging from jazz to Brazilian popular music, the emotion pours from this debut offering.

The funk fans have been waiting for this one. Finally available on vinyl, Grant Green's near perfect slice of jazz funk and soul, Live at Club Mozambique, remastered and rendered back in the Motor City. Grant Green's band had been playing a series of live dates at Detroit's Club Mozambique, (before it became a fabled Male dance club) when this session was recorded live on two cold January nights in 1971. Powerhouse drummer Idris Muhammad and soulful tenor star Houston Person were brought in to supplement Green's current band featuring Ronnie Foster on organ and Clarence Thomas on Soprano and Tenor Sax and Blue Note producer Francis Wolff recorded. This treasure was never released, though, and (conjectures aside) remained in the Blue Notes vaults for 35 years before a 2006 CD release. Sounding incredibly fresh and live, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more real stamping of Grant Green at the top of his game. The lp blends extremely hypnotic and wild funk such as their opening cover of a local funk hit ''Jan Jan'' by the Fabulous Counts next to laidback renditions of early 70's soul favorites ''Walk on By'', ''Patches'' and ''One More Chance'' by the Jackson 5. It perfectly captures the magic of hearing a legendary band effortlessly doing their thing in a small club while the audience unwinds after a long work day. Green pulls it all together with his melodic genius and perfect delivery. Great artists make it seem so easy. No pretensions here, just a great band burning up the stage with unmistakable chemistry on what might be the ultimate jazz funk time capsule. Maybe you can't go back in time, but if you close your eyes and light a cigarette, you might be convinced you're sitting in a wood-paneled club on Detroit's Westside enjoying Grant Green and his band tear it up.

313 Series
Detroit has long held a shared respect with New York; a similar outlook on authenticity. Tough to describe, but you know it when you see it. Third Man Records and Blue Note Records share this respect and also a commitment to integrity regarding the musical legacies they support that extends to the collaboration happening on the 313 Series partnership. The five unique albums from the Blue Note catalog chosen for limited edition re-release by Blue Note Records President and Detroiter Don Was represent the best of the Motor City; innovative sounds, incredible playing and that inexplicable something you know is real.

For an undertaking like this you have to walk the extra mile. The original tapes were sent to Third Man's Detroit mastering and pressing facility where their extensive all analog re-mastering process ensured that the albums delivered live up to the tradition they are part of. The Third Man Records team's commitment to audio purity means no corners can be cut; sound and mastering engineer Warren Defever's goal being to provide the closest possible approximation of the magic found on the original master's tape brought to your living room. From the lacquers cut in the studio on the Neumann VMS-70 Cutting Lathe to the 180 gram vinyl pressed across the hall, every step of the process is tested in the facilities against exacting standards. That's the Detroit way and the reason why the musical legacy from the 313 area code remains beloved around the world.

Grant Green - Guitar
Ronnie Foster - Organ
Idris Muhammad - Drums
Clarence Thomas - Soprano Sax, Tenor Sax
Houston Person - Tenor Sax

Recorded live at Club Mozambique - Detroit, MI 1971 by Francis Wolff

Cloudward is the new release by Brooklyn-based guitarist, composer, and MacArthur fellow Mary Halvorson. The album features eight new compositions by Halvorson, performed with her sextet Amaryllis; the improvisatory band that performed on her critically praised 2022 albums Amaryllis and Belladonna comprises Halvorson, Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), Nick Dunston (bass), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), Jacob Garchik (trombone), and Adam O’Farrill (trumpet). Labelmate Laurie Anderson also is featured on the album track “Incarnadine.”  The dual 2022 releases’ acclaim included being named Jazz Album of the Year in DownBeat’s annual Critics Poll. Halvorson and the ensemble will tour internationally following the Cloudward release, including February and March dates in Maryland and New York, as well as at the Big Ears Festival as part of Nonesuch’s 60th anniversary celebration.

“All the music on Cloudward was written in 2022, mostly in the fall and winter, when things started moving forward. Life felt like a creaky machine starting up again,” Halvorson says. “Air travel, however chaotic, had resumed, and we were once again cloudward. Performances and tours and recordings were happening after a long hiatus and with a renewed sense of gratitude. This band, for me, was quite simply working, both musically and personally, and the main thing I felt while writing the music was optimism.”

Quickly rising jazz pianist Isaiah J. Thompson is back with his tribute to Vince Guaraldi and his music. He comments "Although many claim to not like jazz, I’ve never heard anyone say they dislike holiday music. In my experience, the popular holiday music is jazz. I think Vince Guaraldi in his time deeply influenced how people experienced the music because by being connected to “Peanuts”, it became a part of the popular culture."

Trumpeter Paul Dietrich’s 5+4 arose from the composer’s desire to explore the possibilities of the string quartet within the context of modern jazz. With this group, Dietrich, who also leads both a jazz quintet and a big band, found a solid middle ground between large ensemble compositional approach and small group sensibilities. The result is a record that feels large in scale yet intimate in its improvisational landscape.

After making her professional debut as the cool, breathy voice behind the historic 1964 crossover smash “The Girl from Ipanema,” Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto became a major force in popularizing the bossa nova sound. Her understated yet magnetic delivery is spotlighted on this collection, showcasing her instantly recognizable approach to songs.

As Duke Ellington would have said, Dinah Washington was “beyond category.” Subtle and inventive enough to hold an honored place in the jazz pantheon yet tough and forceful enough to command the attention of blues, R&B and rock n’ roll audiences.

Virtuosic pianist/ composer Hiromi electrifies audiences with a creative energy that encompasses the boundaries of jazz, classical and pop. With her new band, Hiromi's Sonicwonder, she introduces their debut album, Sonicwonderland, out October 6, 2023 via Telarc. A musical nod to her 2007 band Sonicbloom, the quartet showcases 9 original tracks featuring Hiromi on piano/ keyboards, Hadrien Feraud on bass, Gene Coye on drums and Adam O’Farrill on trumpet. Available on CD, 2-LP and digitally.

On Cautious Clay’s deeply personal Blue Note debut KARPEH, the singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer takes an artistic leap forward with an ambitious yet introspective album about growth, conceptions of intimacy and lineage that reveals a new side of his artistry by delving deeper than ever into his jazz influences. Across the album’s 15 tracks, Cautious is heard on vocals, flute, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, guitar, synthesizer and bass.

ARTEMIS returns with their 2nd Blue Note album In Real Time, a marvelous follow-up that highlights the improvisational strength of its members as well as their respective gifts as composers. A dynamic new line-up of the collective features founding members Renee Rosnes (piano), Ingrid Jensen (trumpet), Noriko Ueda (bass), and Allison Miller (drums) joined by newcomers Nicole Glover (tenor saxophone) and Alexa Tarantino (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone and flute). 180-gram LP.