STINGRAY DJAZZ PRESENTS: BEST PREMIÈRES OF 2024

Raul Midón appeared at 2017’s Sing Jazz Festival in Singapore with double bassist Romeir Mendez and drummer Billy Williams. Blind since birth, Raul Midón is a singer, guitarist, and songwriter from New Mexico. With a vocal range as dynamic as his guitar playing and a remarkable talent for trumpet mimicry, Midón’s performances transcend musical boundaries, effortlessly blending rock, jazz, folk, and Latin pop into his unique sound. He has worked with numerous legends, including Bill Withers, Herbie Hancock, Sting, and Dianne Reeves, and his album ‘Bad Ass and Blind’ was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2018. No wonder the Sing Jazz audience were ecstatic!

‘Identities: The Recording’ is a concert film about the recording of composer, arranger, saxophonist and band leader Kārlis Vanags’s album "Identities" with the Latvian Radio Big Band. The film shows all the album tracks as well as behind-the-scenes footage. "Identities", which was recorded directly to analog tape without editing or overdubbing, won the Latvian Music Award for Best Latvian Jazz Album in 2020. The Latvian Radio Big Band is one of the Baltic’s most legendary jazz ensembles. It has proven itself on countless high quality recordings over the years, and has brought together outstanding jazz musicians. “Identities" is made up of surprisingly honest and personal Kārlis Vanags compositions that are rooted in the big band tradition. This recording of lively, contemporary swing music is as popularly accessible as it is artistically rewarding.

In 2019, the vibrant city of Sofia, Bulgaria, hosted the International A to JazZ Festival. Among the featured acts was the trailblazing jazz trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah. This genre-defying artist captivated the audience with his eclectic “stretch music”; an approach that incorporates hip-hop and reaches back through the American canon into African percussion and its rich melodic content. Trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah’s quintet, which includes drummer Corey Fonville, percussionist Weedie Braimah, pianist Lawrence Fields, and bass guitarist Max Mucha, delivered a performance that defied boundaries and expectations.

German jazz and cabaret singer Atrin Madani was born in 1998 as the son of Iranian immigrants. In the face of pandemic uncertainty, geopolitical upheaval, and social unrest in his ancestral home country, Madani asked himself: where are we now? His response to this question is as clear and precise as his singing: what we need most right now is honesty, humility, and quality. All of these are abundantly present on the Berlin-based vocalist’s debut album. Inspired by the sound aesthetics of Mel Tormé, Norah Jones, Diana Krall, and Till Brönner, Madani dedicates himself to a handpicked selection of songs that have so far remained largely unsung in jazz. At this festive album release concert at jazz club A-Trane Berlin in March 2023, Madani was accompanied by pianist Christian von der Goltz, guitarist Alexander Rueß, bassist Olaf Casimir, and drummer Sebastian Merk. Part I.

German jazz and cabaret singer Atrin Madani was born in 1998 as the son of Iranian immigrants. In the face of pandemic uncertainty, geopolitical upheaval, and social unrest in his ancestral home country, Madani asked himself: where are we now? His response to this question is as clear and precise as his singing: what we need most right now is honesty, humility, and quality. All of these are abundantly present on the Berlin-based vocalist’s debut album. Inspired by the sound aesthetics of Mel Tormé, Norah Jones, Diana Krall, and Till Brönner, Madani dedicates himself to a handpicked selection of songs that have so far remained largely unsung in jazz. At this festive album release concert at jazz club A-Trane Berlin in March 2023, Madani was accompanied by pianist Christian von der Goltz, guitarist Alexander Rueß, bassist Olaf Casimir, and drummer Sebastian Merk. Part II.