Sons of Sound eNews: Fall 2004

In This Issue…

1. Conferences: Meet us at IAJE in Long Beach and MIDEM in Cannes in January 2005
2. In Stores Now: Thought Trains by Mike Holober & The Gotham Jazz Orchestra
3. New Release: Cool by The Jay Leonhart Trio
4. New Artists: vibraphonist Steve Shapiro and drummer Rich Thompson
5. Digital Update: Sons of Sound partners with Microsoft, Loudeye, and Sony Connect
6. Distribution Update: Sons of Sound opens International warehouse and partners with Challenge for Benelux
7. Music Publishing: Sons of Sound Music Publishing announces the signing of Andy Parsons

Conferences…

Sons of Sound will be attending both the International Association of Jazz Education annual conference in Long Beach, California (January 5-8, 2005) and the 39th annual MIDEM convention in Cannes, France (Januar 23-27, 2005).

Our IAJE booth is slated to be #241, where we will be working with our friends from Cryptogramophone, and situated next to our friends from OmniTone.

At MIDEM you will find us as in the past with other US independent jazz labels at stand 05-24, including our friends at High Note/Savant, Palmetto, Crypto, Omni, and others. This year, we will be looking to complete our distribution team in Europe now that our European warehouse is in place with DistriTop (see below). We will also be focusing on Non-Japan Asia, South America, and other global territories not currently in our reach. Our stand number is tentatively

Please email jeff@sonsofsound.com to schedule a meeting.

In Stores Now…

Thought Trains from Mike Holober & The Gotham Jazz Orchestra was released on October 16th. Featuring Ron Carter on bass and John Riley on drums (#1 Big Band Drummer, 2004 Modern Drummer Poll), the GoJO also boasts many of New York's first call jazz session players, including Tim Ries, Tony Kadleck, Charles Pillow, Scott Wendholt, Jon Gordon, and others.

"Including some of the finest session musicians available in New York City, the big band devours his enticing charts whole… Although it took nearly eight years for this to be released, it was well worth the wait." — All Music Guide , November 2004

“The strength of Holober's charts is evident in the level of musicianship…. Carter's solo feature on “Waltz Medium” is filled with the deep groove and unexpected turns that have defined his career. …Holober's lively charts, which manage to incorporate unique twists and turns without losing their innate sense of swing, are demanding of the players while remaining completely approachable by listeners.… And as a companion piece to Canyon, it demonstrates just how broad Holober's musical reach truly is." — AllAboutJazz.com, October 2004

Download the press release and one-sheet.

New Release…

Cool from The Jay Leonhart Trio, featuring Ted Rosenthal and Joe Cohn, is set for a street date of November 12th. Don’t be fooled by its title — Cool simmers with intense improvisation. The extensive club experience of this distinguished group shows throughout an intuitive set of jazz standards. Inspired by Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, and Wes Montgomery, the Trio pays tribute while updating the vintage vibe with all original arrangements, including three Al Cohn compositions reworked by son Joe.

“Leonhart is the Fred Astaire of jazz — a craftsman so seamlessly smooth that casual observers often fail to grasp the immensity of his talent. As a bass player, Leonhart’s in the same exalted league as his mentor, teacher and musical hero, Ray Brown. As a vocalist, he remains, much like Astaire, significantly underappreciated.” — Christopher Loudon, JazzTimes, November 2003

Download the press release and one-sheet.

New Artists…

Sons of Sound is pleased to announce the signing of two new artists, with projects scheduled for release in February 2005:

Vibraphonist Steve Shapiro (Steely Dan) has agreed to release Low Standards, his project with guitarist Pat Bergeson (Lyle Lovett) on Sons of Sound. Low Standards slips right into our catalog as top-notch jazz aimed at a younger audience. In addition to Shapiro and Bergeson, Low Standards features vocalist Annie Sellick and tenor player Scott Kreitzer, along with Doug Weiss on bass and Jeff Williams on drums. In a recent issue of DownBeat, Robert Doerschuk writes that Annie would "purr, scat and swing through the standards." Backed by Shapiro's unique vibes vibe, we are excited about the prospects for this disc.

Drummer Rich Thompson (Count Basie, James Williams) has agreed to release the latest project by Trio East: Stop-Start on Sons of Sound. Trio East is comprised of Thompson, Clay Jenkins on trumpet, and Jeff Campbell on bass. The musicianship on Stop-Start is extraordinary, as each member of the Trio is a master of their respective instrument as well as jazz rhythms and harmonies. Another notable drummer, Peter Erskine writes: "Trio East is one of the more open and interesting trios I have ever heard. They pay homage to our jazz heroes by way of their vast vocabulary and easily discernible passion for musicality and swing. They play all the right notes, they experiment and take chances, and make excellent musical choices. I'm knocked out by their playing."

Digital Music Services…

We have also been busy working with the digital music services around the world. In addition to iTunes and eMusic, we have recently completed agreements with Microsoft, Loudeye, Sony Connect, OD2, and Audio Lunchbox. Look for our digital footprint to grow as these new distribution channels expand.

Distribution and Warehousing…

European Warehouse: Sons of Sound is pleased to announce that we have established a warehouse in The Netherlands in association with DistriTop for the fulfillment of orders in the EU. We are now prepared to enter into additional distribution agreements for territories within the EU with distributors who would prefer not to import product directly. Thanks to Colette Pannemans for her support.

Benelux: Sons of Sound is pleased to announce that we have signed a distribution agreement with Challenge Records for the territory of Benelux. Thanks to Anne DeJong and Hans Kesteloo for their support of the label.

Music Publishing…

Our publishing company, Sons of Sound Music Publishing, is a subsidiary of Sons of Sound Productions Ltd. We are pleased to announce that composer/saxophonist Andy Parsons has entered into an agreement with Sons of Sound for the administration of his catalog and co-publishing of compostions as recorded on the label. Due to an unauthorized use of our trademark, our ASCAP publishing company is known as Meatpacking Music, an alliterative reference to the famous area near our office in the West Village of New York City. Look for the "Grade A - Inspected" stamp on published goods.