After his Ropeadope debut – On Our Way To Forever – and his gritty, stripped down album of salt of the earth tunes – Boxcar Blues – Jim Stephens returns with his opus. Songs Of Healing:Philassippiola Soul brings Stephens full vision into view, with classics like Down By The Riverside and Baby Please Don’t Go interspersed with his soulful gospel-tinged compositions. The process is one of inclusion, with a solid cast of inspiring musicians from Chuck Treece, Doug Grisby, Pablo Batista, Lucky Thompson, and many more contributing their unique styles in the arranging and recording process. This is a record of the people, by the people, and for the people. Laments on life’s struggles with a positive message of fortitude and hope color the pages of Philassipiola Soul.
TELEOLOGICAL DEVOLUTION | Light Blue Movers
Connected by music and an eclectic frame of reference, Adrian Harpham, Deron Johnson, Gabe Gordon, and Yonatan Levy are Light Blue Movers. Their debut album, Atlas, found them experimenting with sound and groove, while collaborating with vocalists like Stephanie McKay and Leyeux. In late 2016 the all-star, trans-continental quartet got together for a live show in LA, and of course hit the studio for a couple of nights and let the tape roll. Two sessions in Venice California, with no songs, no chords, no charts. It had been a tough year, and things were about to get much more complicated in the world around them, as it has for us all. The result is Teleological Devolution (the Venice Sessions pt.1), an unapologetic, searching, sonic freedom that literally sounded like life itself. This is real, folks, and real is needed right now. The album hits on September 7 via Harpham's Modern Icon Recordings, with pre-orders on August 10. Drop in here and follow the band for updates.
Shaun Martin is in Focus
From the Snarky Puppy golden days to his solo release, 7 Summers, we have always been (and will remain) huge fans of the style, grace, and versatility that Shaun Martin brings to the piano in its many forms. From delicate riffs to dance party rhythm, Shaun expresses himself with perfect comfort and brings the power when the setting calls for it. So we are proud to announce Focus - the new album from the Shaun Martin Trio. This time Shaun returns to the piano and the roots of the Jazz Trio with longtime collaborators AJ Brown and Jamil Byron.
'i wanted to sit down and fall back in love with the piano - to dance with the one that brought you.' - shaun martin
The trio format lends plenty of inspiration for Shaun, he counts Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Keith Jarrett, and Gary Peacock as influences and standards for the trio vibe, with the magnetic interplay between the instruments as the foundation. Yet as always, Shaun Martin makes the trio his own, comfortably expressing himself as though he is in fact dancing with the one that brought him. A couple of standards from Joe Henderson and Billie Holiday set the frame, with five original compositions that bring the story into Focus, and the interplay between these lifelong friends is indeed magnetic and seemingly effortless.
Jonathan Scales | PILLAR
Jonathan Scales - the subtle and fashionable cat from Asheville NC with two mallets and a dream. When he first arrived at Ropeadope with his 'Fourchestra' he instantly changed the way we viewed the steel pan, with elaborate, sometimes delicate, often powerful compositions. Over the last five years Scales has persisted, winning over many of the best players in the game, and now he brings his latest project to the forefront. PILLAR is set for release on September 14, 2018, and it features none other than Jonathan's hero Bela Fleck and a cast of guests including Shaun Martin, Victor Wooten, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, MonoNeon, Jeff Coffin, and Oteil Burbridge. The core band is Jonathan with bassist E’Lon Jordan-Dunlap and drummer Maison Guidry, a killer lineup on its own. Stay tuned as we unveil new tracks from PILLAR.