Bébé La La Celebrates the Release of Their New Album (at Last)

Bébé La La: Maryse Lapierre and Alicia Ultan.

On November 13, Bébé La La—the singing/songwriting duo of Alicia Ultan (vocals, guitar, viola) and Maryse Lapierre (vocals, harmonium)—will celebrate the duo’s 10th anniversary two years late with a CD release party for their new album, A Curious Series of Unexpected Events. They’ll be joined by Micky Patten (bass); Joe Chellman (drums); Alicia’s twin, cellist Jacqueline Ultan (coming in from Minneapolis); Laura DiMauro (guitar); and other guest artists. It may be two years later than planned, but it’s worth the wait.

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New Releases from Old Friends and New

Ernesto Cervini and Bruce Barth, two musicians whom I have long admired, and Yosef Gutman Levitt, a brand-new acquaintance, have new albums that deserve attention.

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Three Vocalists with New Releases

The latest releases from three vocalists with quite different backgrounds—Doug Wamble, Cheryl Richards, and Roxana Amed—offer satisfying musical explorations.

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New Music from All Over

Continuing with multiple short reviews to try to make up some of the ground lost over the summer, I’ve got a few that stretch across several styles: Tobias Hoffmann Jazz Orchestra, Sorry for Laughing, and Miguel Zenón.

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Eric & Will: Unforgettably Unclassifiable

Eric Vloeimans and Will Holshouser. Photo by Merlijn Doomernik.

It isn’t jazz, exactly, though it lives in a jazz environment, nor is it classical. It’s not folk, rock and roll, or sacred music, either. Yet American accordionist Will Holshouser and Dutch trumpeter Eric Vloeimans combine elements of all of these and more in their compositions—sometimes all in the same piece—to articulate their compositional objectives. In the process, they have created sui generis music that is at once lyrical, playful, and deeply felt. The two will bring their music—and likely their new album, Two for the Roadto the Outpost on Tuesday, September 27, as part of the 16th annual New Mexico Jazz Festival.

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