Following the success of his debut album Now It’s My Turn, Mario Guarini — one of the most acclaimed bass players on the Italian contemporary music scene — returns with Enjoy the Journey.

The album is available on all digital platforms. Featuring ten original tracks, Enjoy the Journey marks a natural and mature evolution in Guarini’s artistic path: a deep, refined work where groove and melody merge into a multi-stylistic and ethnic instrumental language, capable of crossing cultures, influences and sensibilities with remarkable compositional coherence.

The project stands out for its outstanding international collaborations, further reinforcing the album’s global scope. Among the featured artists are Vinnie Colaiuta, a true drumming legend whose unmistakable touch enriches the entire record; the iconic Victor Wooten, a worldwide benchmark of electric bass, appearing on both bass and bow bass; Oz Noy, a leading figure of the New York jazz-fusion scene on guitars; Michael Pipoquinha, the extraordinary Brazilian six-string bass virtuoso; Sandro Haick, internationally renowned musician and producer, contributing on guitars, drums, keyboards and vocals; and Israel Varela, one of the most authoritative voices in contemporary jazz drumming, here performing on drums, cajón and palmas.

Alongside these major international names, the album also features an impressive roster of Italian talents, including Daniele Gottardo, Alberto Marsico, Daniele Bonaviri, Giulio Carmassi, Elio Rivaghi, Max Rosato, Adriano Milinari, among many others, creating a rich, deep and authentically international musical dialogue.

These collaborations enrich the album with diverse languages, cultures and sensibilities, reinforcing the idea of the journey as a shared artistic and human experience.

The project aims to showcase Italian excellence within a truly international artistic context, maintaining the highest production standards and a strong expressive identity, further shaped by the production of Antonello Boezio, founder and producer of Bobo Records. The album was recorded at MAST Recording Studio, and mixed and mastered by Massimo Stano.

In an era increasingly driven by numbers, metrics and visibility, Enjoy the Journey tells a different story — one shaped by people, cultures and genuine encounters. Brazil, India, Japan, America and Spain intertwine in a sonic narrative that moves through blues, soul, funk, flamenco and ethnic influences, where each track becomes a stop along the way and each collaboration a moment of shared growth.

With Enjoy the Journey, Mario Guarini confirms his place among the leading voices of contemporary instrumental music, delivering an album that will captivate not only bass players and industry professionals, but all lovers of high-quality music.

This project was produced with the support of the call “Nuove Produzioni Discografiche 2024/25”, funded by NUOVOIMAIE.

On The All Seeing Eye, bassist, composer, arranger, and producer Will Lyle brings together a group of musicians whose collective experience spans several generations of modern jazz. The album features Lyle alongside pianist David Kikoski, drummer Billy Drummond, and saxophonist Lucas Pino, with additional appearances by drummer Ronen Itzik and vocalist Sirintip.

Available now, the record moves between angular post-bop, swing, balladry, modal jazz, and contemporary harmonic writing without losing the conversational interplay at the center of the session allowing each composition to dictate its own atmosphere and pacing.

The opening track, “Eridania,” written by composer Craig Cammell, introduces the album with shifting key centers and an angular melody that swerves through several harmonic directions before briefly settling in the bridge. Lyle describes the piece as “alien jazz,” though the quartet approaches its complexity with looseness and forward momentum rather than rigidity.

“Lineas de Sangre,” composed by New York saxophonist Rico Jones, draws from jazz and breakbeat influences while evoking the atmosphere of an early-2000s steampunk anime soundtrack. The tune’s layered rhythmic figures and unusual phrasing made it one of the more demanding pieces to rehearse. Guest drummer Ronen Itzik appears here, bringing a sharp and textural approach to the arrangement.

The quartet takes a quieter turn on “Autumn Nocturne,” the 1941 ballad first recorded as an instrumental by Claude Thornhill. Lucas Pino approaches the melody with a vocal sensibility, while the rhythm section leaves wide harmonic space beneath him. The performance developed naturally in the studio, resulting in a warm and restrained interpretation of the standard.

Cole Porter’s “All of You” centers around Billy Drummond’s ability to gradually build intensity behind the soloists without disrupting the flow of the performance. The band begins spaciously before settling into a deep swing feel that unfolds gradually over the course of the track.

Lyle’s original composition “Deepfake” is a contrafact on Jerome Kern’s “Make Believe” and references the melodic language associated with Lennie Tristano and Warne Marsh. The title came from the increasingly common use of digitally manipulated media online, though the composition itself intentionally contrasts that subject matter with a bright medium swing feel. “They say to write for the times,” Lyle notes. “Truly ‘Make Believe.’”

“Saturn Return” serves as the album’s modal centerpiece and Lyle’s homage to the modal jazz recordings of the 1990s. While the composition ultimately developed a different character than he initially imagined, the darker minor-key atmosphere became an important tonal contrast within the sequencing of the record.

The album closes with “On a Clear Day,” featuring vocalist Sirintip. Known primarily for her work in indie electro-pop settings, she brings her jazz background into a setting that avoids the feel of a traditional vocal jazz feature. Backed by the quartet, the performance captures a meeting point between younger and more established improvising voices.

Visit online at will-lyle-music.com/

Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten, Will Lee, Jimmy Haslip, and Bakithi Kumalo each anchor different tracks on the new release from the acclaimed pianist and composer, produced by Grammy-winning drummer Poogie Bell

It is rare for a single album to gather even one bass icon. We Are Just Human, the new vocal album from pianist and composer Kenny Peagler, brings together five of the most influential bassists alive — each taking a different track, each bringing a distinct voice to the low end.

Marcus Miller plays on “Come Close To Me” and “Kiss and Make Up.” Five-time Grammy winner Victor Wooten anchors “Time Machine.” Will Lee appears on “Like No One’s In the Room” and “I Believe,” Jimmy Haslip on “Where Is The Love,” and Bakithi Kumalo — the voice behind some of the most recognizable bass lines in pop history — on “Live This Life For You.” The result is a record that doubles as a master class in modern bass: five players, five philosophies, one cohesive body of songs.

The album is produced by Grammy-winning drummer Poogie Bell, a fellow Pittsburgh native who holds down the kit across all nine tracks. The supporting cast extends the pedigree further, with saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin and percussionist Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez among the contributors.

At the center is Peagler himself — a classically trained pianist with more than three decades on international stages, from Carnegie Hall to the Umbria Jazz Festival to a performance for President Barack Obama. With We Are Just Human, he steps forward as a vocalist and songwriter for the first time, building songs sturdy enough to hold a roster of this caliber.

Critics have taken note. Music Connection awarded the album 8 out of 10, praising Peagler’s voice as “strong and warm” and the musicianship throughout as exceptional, while SoulTracks highlighted the project as revealing a powerful new dimension of an artist long respected on the bandstand.

For bass players, the appeal is direct: a chance to hear Miller, Wooten, Lee, Haslip, and Kumalo on the same album, in service of the song rather than the solo. The masters are owned outright, and isolated bass stems, hi-res audio, and interviews with Kenny Peagler and Poogie Bell are available on request.

We Are Just Human is out now on Apple Music, Spotify, and all major streaming platforms.

Visit online at www.kennypeagler.com

Danielle Nicole is excited to announce the release of her new album Fireflies, arriving August 28 via 40 Below Records. Pre-order here. Alongside the announcement, Nicole is sharing the album’s powerful new single, “Tug Of War,” a soulful anthem about reclaiming strength in the face of imbalance and emotional exhaustion.

“I wrote ‘Tug Of War’ for anyone finding themself no longer willing to accept the terms of a one way relationship,” says Danielle.

Long celebrated for her commanding voice, masterful bass playing, and emotionally fearless songwriting, Danielle Nicole traces the beginning of her musical journey back to a transformative moment in her teenage years: seeing Etta James perform live in Kansas City.

“We had a great blues festival in Kansas City,” Nicole recalls, “and I was able to see Etta James perform. She was fearless. My parents were musicians who played in cover bands, so music was always part of my family — but I didn’t realize I wanted to sing and perform, too, until I heard Etta.”

That reverence for the great soul singers, storytellers, and trailblazers who came before her has fueled a career spanning nearly 25 years, including 10 Blues Music Awards, a Grammy nomination, and international acclaim as both a songwriter and performer. With Fireflies, Nicole delivers what may be her most personal and musically adventurous statement yet — a raw, deeply felt collection recorded live to analog tape that explores grief, resilience, empowerment, and transformation through a rich blend of blues, soul, R&B, and roots music.

“There’s a lot of soul-driven music here,” she says. “A lot of storytelling. It’s a major step forward in my songwriting.”

Visit online at daniellenicolemusic.com/

 Grammy Award-winning bassist, composer and cherished educator John Clayton — one of jazz’s most celebrated voices on the instrument — has released Two-o Duo, his 8th leader album exclusively via ArtistShare. This much-anticipated release features his longtime collaborator, vocalist and contemporary storyteller René Marie, and his son & frequent musical partner, 7-time Grammy-nominated pianist and composer Gerald Clayton. With a strong focus on duo playing, Two-o Duo presents 11 songs, spotlighting a range of material through different cultural eras, plus lyrical and compositional contributions from both Marie and the Claytons, respectively. 

The worldwide digital release of Two-o Duo will be on July 3, 2026. 

While the duo context and its many iterations shapes the project’s sound, Clayton seized the opportunity to explore further: “Since we were all there [in the studio], hanging out on the same day, why not do a few trio things as well?” Together, the three artists breathe through the repertoire, filling and leaving space and letting resonances linger. They embrace all that’s intimate and vulnerable. “Some really magical things happened,” he says. “If you’re close with somebody and you’re in the room with them, both of you feel the closeness that you share. There’s no word for it. It’s intangible. But it’s very real.” 

When he began gathering ideas for the record, Clayton encouraged Marie to share repertoire selections that held meaning for her. His goal was to center her personal & eclectic musical tastes as part of the album’s character and development. “She’s not just singing jazz tunes,” says Clayton. “She’s singing songs that she would hear on AM radio, for instance, and pop hits. She’ll just walk around her house singing these tunes and the next thing you know, she’s asking her group if she can do these songs. She’s always been like that, which is a cool thing that I’ve always loved about her.” 

The album opens on an utterly syncopated invention of “Blue Bayou,” the early ’60s ballad made famous by its co-composer Roy Orbison, then later by Linda Ronstadt. “We came up with this other vibe,” says Clayton. “I liken it to a cart that’s missing a wheel. It’s always just a little bit off.” With certain harmonic exceptions that allow the song to breathe through Marie’s treatment of the lyric, the Claytons keep it weird, anchored throughout by Clayton’s characteristically fluid yet propulsive bass lines. — even through Gerald’s piano solo. “It’s as if he didn’t want to destroy the weirdness.” 

Two-o Duo’s first instrumental, Gerald’s blues composition “Nail… In Need” expands the album’s familial connection. When he performed it live at Pasadena’s Bacchus Kitchen, his godfather, drummer Jeff “Hammer” Hamilton fell in love with the aptly named tune and recorded it with his trio. Another deeply felt, intuitive gesture, “Beautiful” showcases Marie’s ability to embody a lyric’s poetry, musicality and stark humanness. “There’s a beautiful arc to this song where you feel René preaching with more intensity as the song goes on,” says Clayton. She amplifies that energy through her part-spoken, part-sung performance of “On the Day You Were Born,” taking her lead from Clayton’s melodic and conversational bass intro. After reading through Marie’s original lyrics ,and experiencing their dramatic yet intimate delivery, both John and Gerald contributed pieces of the composition, leaving plenty of room for the unfolding of Marie’s story. “I was frozen by its dramatic impact on me,” says Clayton. Together, they recorded a single take. “When it was over and we listened back, I said, ‘We could do another take, but it won’t be better. It’ll be different but it won’t be better.’ So we left it.” 

A song that touches so many listeners through so many generations, Martin Rojas’ “En La Orilla del Mundo” pays homage to Charlie Haden and features John and Gerald at their most tender and resonant. Opening on piano-arco duo, the artists treat the iconic melody with curiosity and care. “It’s one of those songs I’m jealous I didn’t write,” says Clayton. “I don’t know what I’m capable of but I wish I were capable of writing a song like that [laughs].” Back and forth between them, Clayton and Marie pass intimate energy, dream walking through Billy Joel’s timeless love song “For the Longest Time.” 

Combining “When You’re Smiling,” “Smile,” “Make Someone Happy” and a sweet shadow of “Put on a Happy Face,” Two-o Duo’s “Smile Medley” shares a moment of joy, with an almost literal translation of something abstract: genuine connection between artists. Marie provided the song selections but the arrangement, according to Clayton, was a team effort. Of their approach to “Some Other Time,” he says, “I feel Rio in the air on this one.” Clayton’s tight arrangement creates the movement of brushes without the brushes. “It’s a samba but we allow the listener to provide the drums.” 

The arco tremolo introducing Duke Ellington’s treasured ballad “Come Sunday” sets the tone for a fog lifting moment when Gerald’s piano enters. “There’s a completeness to this song that’s absent in the first A because it’s just René and me,” says Clayton. “And then when that A comes in again, it’s Gerald. And now he’s got the entire orchestra — the piano — to fill in the gaps that you weren’t getting when it was just us.” 

Clayton and Marie deliver a contemplative, rubato verse and ending on “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Her handling of the verse prompted Clayton, again, to pull out his bow. “René knows how to invite freedom and inspire creativity,” he says. “It’s what every artist wants to bathe in.” Two-o Duo concludes on Gerald’s layering composition “Forth,” performed as a duo with Clayton. The latter creates a bass orchestra in concert with Gerald’s piano and collection of keyboards. “I didn’t know what the song was about. I just had to read the music and watch it unfold. It wasn’t until the mix that I finally went, ‘Ahh…’ and heard how the pieces came together … It’s like unwrapping a gift.” 

Dedicated to Clayton’s dear friend, the recently departed engineer Joel Moss, Two-o Duo is a gesture toward connection, in generous tribute to family, friendship and the sacred bond between artist and listener. “There’s always something spiritual about people who are related. It usually isn’t conscious and it doesn’t always have to be in your face. There’s some kind of line unspoken that’s going through there. I may not be related to René but we’re sharing energy. And the audience may not know what’s going on but they’re going to feel something, too.”