Help Jazz! With HelpJazz.com

Big challenges require big action. That's why the young fellows at Search and Restore, a New York jazz community website and concert promotion operation, are trying to raise $75,000.

The big challenge, in this case, is expanding the audience for current, vital, creative jazz. The big action they're proposing is an epic video documentation of the jazz scene in New York and the expansion of their website as a hub of the jazz community.

If anyone is able to pull off something like this, it's the folks at Search and Restore. A small team of idealistic 20-somethings, they've staged countless cutting edge jazz concerts in New York and their website is the source for info on the NYC jazz scene. Their grand plan involves filming 4 concerts a week for an entire year(!) Read all about it on their fundraising website, HelpJazz.com. Or you could watch the founder's appeal right here:

I, along with hundreds of others, donated some money to their cause, but they're still a long way from their $75,000 goal, with only a week left. These Kickstarter fundraising campaigns are all-or-nothing affairs: if they don't reach their goal by next Monday, the 6th, then all the donors get their money back and the project is unfunded.

In another characteristically big move, Search and Restore is putting on a benefit concert tonight unlike any other. It will be a series of duets featuring such A-list musicians as Don Byron, Christian McBride, Ben Allison, Matt Wilson, Avishai Cohen, Theo Bleckmann, Henry Grimes and others. I'm sure they'll get a big turnout at the event, and I hope it results in some strong donations. If you're not in New York (and not at this gig in Chicago), then you can watch the all-star jazz duet madness via live streaming webcast at http://www.watchitoo.com/searchandrestore.

Donate! Now! at HelpJazz.com

Now Playing on AccuJazz - 11/19/10

These Now Playing posts always seem to start with the sentence, "it has been waaay too long since I did a Now Playing post." Well, it's as apt now as ever. The last one was in July and we've added a massive amount of music to the many channels of AccuJazz since then. Not only have we added a massive amount of music, but we've added a massive amount of really good music. New discs by Charles Lloyd, Vijay Iyer, The Bad Plus, Mary Halvorson, Danilo Perez, Rudresh Mahanthappa, I could go on, but, well, I will go on: it's all listed below.

As always, the title of each album is a link to purchase, and I've listed the channels on which you're most likely to hear the disc. Most all of the releases are playing on the Main channel and the New Releases channel in addition to the listed subchannels.

Please post any comments or questions you have about the new releases. Why don't you launch the New Releases channel as your soundtrack to reading the post? Or, pick from over 50 other channels at AccuJazz.com.

Charles Lloyd Quartet - Mirror (ECM)

Saxophone, New School, Modern Mainstream

Esperanza Spalding - Chamber Music Society (Heads Up)
Vocal, New School, Cutting Edge, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, Bass, Third Stream, Women of Jazz

Conrad Herwig - The Latin Side of Herbie Hancock (Half Note)
Latin, New School, Modern Mainstream, Live Jazz, New York, Trombone, Groove Jazz

Mary Halvorson - Saturn Sings (Firehouse 12)
Guitar, New School, Cutting Edge, Emerging Voices, New York, Avant-Garde

The Bad Plus - Never Stop (E1)
Piano, New School, Cutting Edge, New York

Clayton Brothers - The New Song and Dance (ArtistShare)
Saxophone, Bass, New School, Modern Mainstream, Modern West Coast

Vijay Iyer - Solo (ACT)

Piano, New School, Cutting Edge, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York

Taylor Eigsti - Daylight at Midnight (Concord)
Piano, Vocal, New School, Emerging Voices, New York

The Marsalis Family - Music Redeems (Marsalis Music)
Straight Ahead, Modern Mainstream, Live, New Orleans, Trumpet, Trombone, Vibes

Rudresh Mahanthappa and Bunky Green - Apex (Pi Recordings)
Saxophone, New School, Cutting Edge, Modern Mainstream, New York

Danilo Perez - Providencia (Mack Avenue)
Piano, Latin, New School, Modern Mainstream

Freddy Cole - Sings Mr. B (HighNote)
Vocal, Mellow Jazz

Larry Goldings and Harry Allen - When Larry Met Harry (Palmetto)
Straight Ahead, Piano, Saxophone, Modern Mainstream

Guillermo Klein - Domador De Huellas (Sunnyside)
Latin, New School, Cutting Edge

Houston Person - Moment to Moment (HighNote)
Straight Ahead, Saxophone, Mellow

Dave Douglas - Spark of Being (Greenleaf)
New School, Cutting Edge, New York, Trumpet, Fusion

Jim Rotondi - 1000 Rainbows (Posi-Tone)
New School, Modern Mainstream, New York, Trumpet

Cyrus Chestnut Trio - Journeys (Jazz Legacy Productions)
Straight Ahead, Piano, Modern Mainstream, New York

Jane Monheit - Home (Emarcy)

Vocal

Denise Donatelli - When Lights are Low (Savant)
Vocal, Women of Jazz

Dmitry Baevsky - Down With It (Sharp 9)
Straight Ahead, Saxophone, Bebop, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, Europe

Avishai Cohen - Introducing Triveni (Anzic)
New School, Modern Mainstream, New York, Trumpet

Ryan Cohan - Another Look (Motema)
Piano, New School, Modern Mainstream, Chicago

Spanish Harlem Orchestra - Viva La Tradicion (Concord)
Latin, New York

Greg Ward's Fitted Shards - South Side Story (19/8)

Saxophone, New School, Cutting Edge, Emerging Voices, Chicago, Fusion

Grant Stewart - Around the Corner (Sharp 9)
Straight Ahead, Saxophone, Bebop, Modern Mainstream, New York

Soulive - Rubber Soulive (Royal Family)
New School, Organ, Fusion, Beatles, Pop Composers, Groove Jazz

Isaac Delgado - L-O-V-E (Sony Classical)
Vocal, Latin

Tamir Hendelman - Destinations (Resonance)
Straight Ahead, Piano, New School, Modern Mainstream, Modern West Coast

Bobby Watson - Gates BBQ Suite (Self-Released)
Saxophone, Modern Mainstream, Big Band

Dave Holland and Pepe Habichuela - Hands (Dare2)
Guitar, New School, Europe, Bass

Jeb Bishop - 2009 (Better Animal)

New School, Chicago, Avant-Garde, Trombone

Doug Beavers 9 - Two Shades of Nude (Origin)
New School, Modern Mainstream, New York, Big Band, Trombone

Jason Adasiewicz - Sun Rooms (Delmark)
New School, Emerging Voices, Chicago, Vibes

The Cookers - Warriors (Jazz Legacy Productions)
Saxophone, New School, Modern Mainstream, New York, Trumpet

Owen Howard - Drum Lore (BJU)
New School, Modern Mainstream, New York, Drummers

Ches Smith and These Arches - Finally Out of My Hands (Skirl)
New School, Emerging Voices, New York, Avant-Garde, Drummers

Mason Brothers - Two Sides One Story (Archival)

New School, Modern Mainstream, New York, Trumpet, Trombone

Ted Rosenthal Trio - Impromptu (Playscape)
Straight Ahead, Piano, Modern Mainstream, Third Stream

David S. Ware - Onecept (AUM Fidelity)
New School, New York, Avant-Garde

Gabriel Alegria - Pucusana (Saponegro)
Latin, New School, Modern Mainstream, Trumpet

Rufus Reid - Out Front (Motema)
Modern Mainstream, Bass

Roland Vazquez Band - The Visitor (RVCD)
Latin, New School, Modern Mainstream, Big Band

William Parker - I Plan to Stay a Believer: the Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield (AUM Fidelity)

Live Jazz, Pop Composers

Christian Howes and Robben Ford - Out of the Blue (Resonance)
Straight Ahead, New School, Modern Mainstream

Jeremy Siskind - Simple Songs: For When the World Seems Strange (BJU)
Piano, New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York

Tia Fuller - Decisive Steps (Mack Avenue)
Saxophone, New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, Women of Jazz

Dave Bass - Gone (Self-Released)
Piano, Latin, Modern Mainstream, Modern West Coast

Mike LeDonne - The Groover (Savant)
Straight Ahead, Organ

Exploding Star Orchestra - Stars Have Shapes (Delmark)

New School, Chicago, Avant-Garde

Chris Colangelo - Elaine's Song (C-Note Records)
New School, Modern Mainstream, Modern West Coast, Bass

Myron Walden - Countryfied (Demi Sound)
Saxophone, New School, Modern Mainstream, New York

Kneebody - Kneebody (Greenleaf Music)
New School, Cutting Edge, Emerging Voices, Modern West Coast, Fusion

Brad Goode - Tight Like This (Delmark)
New School, Modern Mainstream, Chicago, Trumpet

Dan Marschak - Likewise (Press Rewind Productions)
Piano, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, Modern West Coast

Ayako Shirasaki - Falling Leaves: Live in Hamburg (Jan Matthies)

Piano, New School, Modern Mainstream, Live Jazz, Women of Jazz

Peter Schwebs - Stories From Sugar Hill (Laika Records)
New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York, Europe, Bass

Chris Donnelly - Solo (ALMA)
Piano, New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices

Marc Cary Focus Trio - Live 2009 (Motema)
Piano, New School, Modern Mainstream, Live Jazz

Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble - Blueprints (Chicago Sessions)
Latin, New School, Chicago, Big Band

Michael Dease - Grace (Jazz Legacy Productions)
Straight Ahead, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York, Trombone

Sarah Wilson - Trapeze Project (Brass Tonic)

New School, Modern Mainstream, Modern West Coast, Trumpet, Women of Jazz

Tomas Fujiwara and the Hook-Up - Actionspeak (482 Music)
New School, Cutting Edge, Emerging Voices, New York, Avant-Garde, Drummers

University of North Texas One O'Clock Lab Band - Lab 2010 (North Texas Jazz)
New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, Big Band

Vox Arcana - Aerial Age (Allos Documents)
New School, Emerging Voices, Chicago, Avant-Garde

Tomas Janzon - Experiences (Changes Music)
Straight Ahead, Guitar, Modern Mainstream, Modern West Coast

Jacam Manricks - Trigonometry (Posi-Tone)
Saxophone, New School, Cutting Edge, New York

Garrison Fewell - Sound Particle 47 (Creative Nation Music)

Avant-Garde

Kenny Werner - No Beginning No End (Half Note)
New School, Third Stream

Hot Club of Hulaville - Django Would Go! (Hulaville)
Guitar

Sheryl Bailey - A New Promise (MCG)
Guitar, Modern Mainstream, Big Band, Women of Jazz

Dave Liebman - Live at MCG (MCG)
Live Jazz, Fusion

Ken Fowser and Behn Gillece - Little Echo (Posi-Tone)
Straight Ahead, Saxophone, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, Vibes

Amina Figarova - Sketches (Munich)

Piano, New School, Modern Mainstream, Europe, Women of Jazz

Janis Mann - Blow Away (Pancake)
Vocal, Mellow Jazz, Women of Jazz

Kurt Schweitz Drexel Project - Multivalent (Self-Released)
New School, Cutting Edge, Emerging Voices, Chicago, Bassists

Phronesis - Alive (Edition)
Piano, New School, Cutting Edge, Live, Emerging Voices, Europe, Bassists

Milton Suggs - Things to Come (Skiptone)
Vocal, Emerging Voices, Chicago

21st Century Swing Band - Pittsburgh Jazz Legacy (MCG Jazz)
Straight Ahead, Bebop, Big Band

The ExPosed Blues Duo - Bare (Greene Avenue Music)

Vocal

Pedro Assad e Meretrio - Na Cozinha (Produzido no Pólo Industrial de Manaus)
Brazilian, New School, Fusion

Oster Welker Jazz Alliance - Detour Ahead (Jazzed Media)
Vocal, Modern West Coast, Big Band

Jacob Melchior - It's About Time (Self-Released)
Straight Ahead, Drummers

Ratko Zjaca and Simone Zanchini - The Way We Talk (In and Out)
Guitar, New School, Modern Mainstream, Europe

Joey DeFrancesco - Never Can Say Goodbye: The Music of Michael Jackson (HighNote)
Organ, Pop Composers, Groove Jazz

Rodney Richardson Trio - This is the Rodney Richardson Trio (Self-Released)

Straight Ahead, Guitar, Modern Mainstream, Organ

6th Street Quaternion - Summer Nights (Self-Released)
Vocal