Motéma Music
Encyclopedia
Motéma Music is an American
record label
focused on jazz
and world music
, as well as other creative projects by virtuosic musicians who also compose. It was founded by Jana Herzen
in 2003, and is now based in Harlem
, New York City
. Among the artists on the label are Monty Alexander
, Randy Weston
, Charnett Moffett
, Geri Allen
, Lynne Arriale
, Rufus Reid
, Marc Cary
, Jean-Michel Pilc
, Malika Zarra
, and René Marie
. The name means "heart" in Lingala
. Motéma has been described as "what Bluenote
was to the jazz labels of the 60s...for the 21st century" and "a welcoming beacon, documenting brilliant improvisers who are rapidly expanding the art form."
. A production company since 1997, it became a label after signing Babatunde Lea
for his album, Soul Pools. Jana Herzen, a singer-songwriter who composed and performed on "'Round the World" on Soul Pools, was trying to get out some records and created the label to do so, never intending to be a CEO. She chose the name because of its similarity to the sound of "Motown." The label quickly caught the attention of Jazziz. Jazz represents about 70% of the label's output. Her own album, Soup's on Fire, is jazz-influenced, but not strictly jazz. The company was formed by Herzen, Lea, Ronnie Lippin, and Jean-Marc Lumbrano, mainly with money from Herzen's parents, Stanford University
scientists Leonard
and Leonore Herzenberg.
Herzen moved the label to New York in 2005 to be closer to the action. At one time, it was based in the third floor of the Langston Hughes House
, which was obtained for them by Shon 'Chance' Miller. The label has since moved elsewhere on the same street. The logo is designed by Winston Smith
.
The label is very artist-centric and focused on each artist's career development. It was because of this reputation that such highly-respected artists such as Geri Allen
and Rufus Reid
came to the label. Herzen attributes this to her being an artist herself. She has no plans to give up physical CDs so that her artists have something to sell at concerts.
and Jana Herzen founded the Jazz Therapy series as a benefit for the Dizzy Gillespie Memorial Fund of the Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Foundation in Englewood, New Jersey
, which underwrites medical care for uninsured jazz musicians who are unable to pay for medical care. The series so far has included CDs by Ben-Hur and Ithamara Koorax
and Juarez Moreira
. Ben-Hur met Nilson Matta
in the performance lounge of Englewood Hospital, which led to their collaboration on the third release in the series.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
focused on jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
, as well as other creative projects by virtuosic musicians who also compose. It was founded by Jana Herzen
Jana Herzen
Jana Herzen is a singer-songwriter with folk, world, rock and jazz influences who founded Motéma Music, a Harlem-based record label focused on virtuosic jazz and world music. Prior to founding the label in 2003, she worked as a musician , an art agent for Winston Smith, who designed the logo for...
in 2003, and is now based in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Among the artists on the label are Monty Alexander
Monty Alexander
Monty Alexander is a jazz pianist and melodica player. His playing has a strong Caribbean influence and swinging feeling, but he has also been influenced by Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Wynton Kelly, and Ahmad Jamal.-Biography:Alexander discovered the piano at the age of 4, taking classical music...
, Randy Weston
Randy Weston
Randy Weston , is an American jazz pianist and composer, of Jamaican parentage.-Biography:Weston studied classical piano as a child. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, he ran a restaurant that was frequented by many of the leading bebop musicians...
, Charnett Moffett
Charnett Moffett
Charnett Moffett is an American jazz musician who plays piccolo bass, double bass and bass guitar.Moffett's given name was created as a combination of that of his father and that of Ornette Coleman...
, Geri Allen
Geri Allen
Geri Allen is an American composer/pianist educator jazz pianist, raised in Detroit, Michigan, and educated in the Detroit Public Schools. Allen has worked with many of the greats of modern music, including Ornette Coleman, Ron Carter, Ravi Coltrane, Tony Williams, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette,...
, Lynne Arriale
Lynne Arriale
Lynne Arriale is an American jazz pianist. She was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She received her Master's Degree from the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and in her initial training was classical. However her interest in the works of Keith Jarrett and Herbie Hancock led her to jazz. She gained...
, Rufus Reid
Rufus Reid
Rufus Reid is an American jazz bassist, educator, and composer. He lives in Teaneck, New Jersey.-Personal history:...
, Marc Cary
Marc Cary
Marc Cary is a post bop jazz pianist based out of New York City. Cary has played and recorded with several well-known musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie, Betty Carter, Arthur Taylor, Abbey Lincoln, Erykah Badu, Meshell Ndegeocello, Stefon Harris, Lauryn Hill, Ani DiFranco, Jackie McLean, and...
, Jean-Michel Pilc
Jean-Michel Pilc
Jean-Michel Pilc is a self-taught French-born jazz pianist currently residing in New York. His technical ability has drawn comparisons to Michel Petrucciani, McCoy Tyner, and Cecil Taylor. Of particular note is Pilc's left-hand technique, which provides an almost ambidextrous approach to the...
, Malika Zarra
Malika Zarra
Malika Zarra is a Moroccan-born, French-raised singer, composer, and music producer now based in New York City known for singing in Moroccan Arabic, Berber, French, and English. Her music has been on the JazzWeek Top 20 radio chart in world music....
, and René Marie
Rene marie
René Marie is a songwriter and jazz vocalist. She began her professional music career at age 42. In 1999, she performed at Blues Alley in Washington, D.C. and signed a contract with the St. Louis-based MAXJAZZ label...
. The name means "heart" in Lingala
Lingala language
Lingala, or Ngala, is a Bantu language spoken throughout the northwestern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a large part of the Republic of the Congo , as well as to some degree in Angola and the Central African Republic. It has over 10 million speakers...
. Motéma has been described as "what Bluenote
Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
was to the jazz labels of the 60s...for the 21st century" and "a welcoming beacon, documenting brilliant improvisers who are rapidly expanding the art form."
History
Motéma Music was begun in the San Francisco Bay AreaSan Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. A production company since 1997, it became a label after signing Babatunde Lea
Babatunde Lea
Babatunde Lea is an Afro-Cuban jazz and Worldbeat percussionist. Michael Lea was raised in Englewood, New Jersey, while regularly commuting to 116th and Amsterdam in New York, where the rest of his family lived after moving from his birthplace, Danville, Virginia. His aunt was one of the first...
for his album, Soul Pools. Jana Herzen, a singer-songwriter who composed and performed on "'Round the World" on Soul Pools, was trying to get out some records and created the label to do so, never intending to be a CEO. She chose the name because of its similarity to the sound of "Motown." The label quickly caught the attention of Jazziz. Jazz represents about 70% of the label's output. Her own album, Soup's on Fire, is jazz-influenced, but not strictly jazz. The company was formed by Herzen, Lea, Ronnie Lippin, and Jean-Marc Lumbrano, mainly with money from Herzen's parents, Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
scientists Leonard
Leonard Herzenberg
Leonard Arthur "Len" Herzenberg is an immunologist, geneticist and professor at Stanford University. His contribututions to the development of cell biology made it possible to sort viable cells by their specific properties....
and Leonore Herzenberg.
Herzen moved the label to New York in 2005 to be closer to the action. At one time, it was based in the third floor of the Langston Hughes House
Langston Hughes House
Langston Hughes House is a historic home located in Harlem, New York, New York. It is an Italianate style dwelling built in 1869. It is a three story with basement, rowhouse faced in brownstone and measuring 20 feet wide and 45 feet deep...
, which was obtained for them by Shon 'Chance' Miller. The label has since moved elsewhere on the same street. The logo is designed by Winston Smith
Winston Smith (artist)
Winston Smith is an artist who primarily uses the medium of collage. He is probably best known for the artwork he has produced for the American punk rock group Dead Kennedys...
.
The label is very artist-centric and focused on each artist's career development. It was because of this reputation that such highly-respected artists such as Geri Allen
Geri Allen
Geri Allen is an American composer/pianist educator jazz pianist, raised in Detroit, Michigan, and educated in the Detroit Public Schools. Allen has worked with many of the greats of modern music, including Ornette Coleman, Ron Carter, Ravi Coltrane, Tony Williams, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette,...
and Rufus Reid
Rufus Reid
Rufus Reid is an American jazz bassist, educator, and composer. He lives in Teaneck, New Jersey.-Personal history:...
came to the label. Herzen attributes this to her being an artist herself. She has no plans to give up physical CDs so that her artists have something to sell at concerts.
Jazz Therapy
Roni Ben-HurRoni Ben-Hur
Roni Ben-Hur is a Tunisian-Israeli bebop jazz guitarist who emigrated to the United States in 1985. His third CD, Anna's Dance, was rated by The Village Voice as one of the best jazz CDs of 2001...
and Jana Herzen founded the Jazz Therapy series as a benefit for the Dizzy Gillespie Memorial Fund of the Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center is an "acute care teaching hospital affiliated with Mount Sinai School of Medicine" in Englewood, New Jersey, United States....
Foundation in Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 27,147.Englewood was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of...
, which underwrites medical care for uninsured jazz musicians who are unable to pay for medical care. The series so far has included CDs by Ben-Hur and Ithamara Koorax
Ithamara Koorax
Ithamara Koorax is a popular Brazilian pop-jazz singer.-Discography:*2009 - Bim Bom - The Complete João Gilberto Songbook - Motéma Music*2007 - Brazilian Butterfly - IRMA...
and Juarez Moreira
Juarez Moreira
-References:...
. Ben-Hur met Nilson Matta
Nilson Matta
Nilson Matta is a premier Brazilian bassist and composer. He has been based in New York City since 1985. He is also known for his work with Trio Da Paz, Don Pullen African Brazilian Connection, Joe Henderson, Yo Yo Ma and Nilson Matta's Brazilian Voyage....
in the performance lounge of Englewood Hospital, which led to their collaboration on the third release in the series.
2003
- Babatunde LeaBabatunde LeaBabatunde Lea is an Afro-Cuban jazz and Worldbeat percussionist. Michael Lea was raised in Englewood, New Jersey, while regularly commuting to 116th and Amsterdam in New York, where the rest of his family lived after moving from his birthplace, Danville, Virginia. His aunt was one of the first...
- Soul Pools with Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Hilton RuizHilton RuizHilton Ruiz was a Puerto Rican American jazz pianist in the Afro-Cuban jazz mold, but was also a talented bebop player....
, John BenîtezJohn BenitezJohn Benitez, better known as "Jellybean Benitez" is an American drummer, guitarist, songwriter, DJ, remixer and music producer of Puerto Rican descent...
, Mario RiveraMario RiveraMario Rivera was a musician, composer and arranger. He was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.- References :* * [ Allmusic]*...
, Kevin JonesKoko JonesKoko Jones, formerly known as Bujo Kevin Jones, is an African-American transgendered jazz percussionist and band leader based in New Jersey. Bill Milkowski of JazzTimes described his first album, Tenth World, produced by Babatunde Lea, as combining "the spirit of Africa with modern jazz on his...
, Jana Herzen, Raul MidonRaul MidónRaúl Midón is a singer-songwriter and guitarist from New Mexico, based in New York City. He combines his distinct voice, strumming, beats, and vocal mouth trumpet sounds to create a one-man performance. His unique style shows influence of virtually every musical genre which came before him,...
, Ernie WattsErnie WattsErnest James "Ernie" Watts is an American jazz and rhythm and blues musician. He plays saxophone and flute. He might be best known for his work with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and his Grammy Awards as an instrumentalist...
, Geoff Brennan 7-09363-7136-2 - Babatunde Lea - Level of Intent with Jon FaddisJon FaddisJon Faddis is an American jazz trumpet player, conductor, composer, and educator renowned for both his highly virtuosic command of the instrument and for his expertise in the field of music education...
, Charnette MoffettCharnett MoffettCharnett Moffett is an American jazz musician who plays piccolo bass, double bass and bass guitar.Moffett's given name was created as a combination of that of his father and that of Ornette Coleman...
[sic], Hilton Ruiz, Frank ColónFrank ColónFrank Colón is an American musician and martial artist, of Puerto Rican descent.-Biography:Born in Washington, D.C., Colón moved from there to Puerto Rico at the age of five...
, John PurcellJohn Purcell (musician)John Raymond Purcell is an American jazz saxophonist.-Biography:Purcell was raised in Westchester, New York, where he started on French horn before switching to saxophone. He attended the Manhattan School of Music, achieving his master's degree in 1978, then formed a 22-piece ensemble based in...
, Frank Lacy, Tommy JamesTommy JamesTommy James is an American pop-rock musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known as leader of the 1960s rock band Tommy James and the Shondells.-Early life and career:...
, Santi DebrianoSanti DebrianoSanti Wilson Debriano is a jazz bassist.Debriano was raised in Brooklyn, having moved there with his family at age four. He studied composition at Union College in New York, then attended the New England Conservatory of Music and Wesleyan University...
, Kenny BarronKenny BarronKenny Barron , is an American jazz pianist. He is the younger brother of tenor saxophonist Bill Barron, and known for his lyrical, adaptive style.-Biography:...
, Marvin Horn 8-20320-0047-2 (reissue of a 1996 Diaspora Records album) - Lynne ArrialeLynne ArrialeLynne Arriale is an American jazz pianist. She was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She received her Master's Degree from the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and in her initial training was classical. However her interest in the works of Keith Jarrett and Herbie Hancock led her to jazz. She gained...
Trio (Jay Anderson, Steve Davis) - Arise MTM71372
2004
- Babatunde Lea - Suite Unseen: Summoner of the Ghost with Steve Rurre, Richard Howell, Glen PearsonGlen PearsonGlen Douglas Pearson is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is a former Member of Parliament for London North Centre, and is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.-Life and career:...
, Geoff Brennan, Ron Belcher, Bujo Kevin Jones MTM 00002 - Jana HerzenJana HerzenJana Herzen is a singer-songwriter with folk, world, rock and jazz influences who founded Motéma Music, a Harlem-based record label focused on virtuosic jazz and world music. Prior to founding the label in 2003, she worked as a musician , an art agent for Winston Smith, who designed the logo for...
- Soup's on Fire MOTEMA 6681-2 - DiscomindDiscomindDiscomind is a band that is a fusion of disco, house, and rock featuring vocals by Sheila Horne of George Clinton's P-Funk All-Stars. The band also includes Kraze, Shane, Lanny Ward, and Danny Jam....
- The Fresh Turnout unnumbered [digital download; physical CDs are promotional items only] - DJ Jackie ChristieDJ Jackie ChristieDJ Jackie Christie is a DJ, songwriter, and music producer based in New York City. She is well known for her work at MTV's The Grind and The Limelight in New York City. She began releasing singles in 1997, originally under the alias, Shine, and her first album, Made 4 U, in 2004. The first...
- Made 4 U RAD 90079-2
2006
- Marc CaryMarc CaryMarc Cary is a post bop jazz pianist based out of New York City. Cary has played and recorded with several well-known musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie, Betty Carter, Arthur Taylor, Abbey Lincoln, Erykah Badu, Meshell Ndegeocello, Stefon Harris, Lauryn Hill, Ani DiFranco, Jackie McLean, and...
- Focus with David Ewell, Sameer GuptaSameer GuptaSameer Gupta is a San Francisco-based jazz percussionist, tabla player, and composer. He is the founder of the jazz ensemble The Supplicants and drummer for the Marc Cary Focus Trio...
MTM-00005 - Bujo Kevin Jones with Kelvin SholarKelvin SholarKelvin Lamar Sholar is an American pianist, bandleader, producer and composer. Sholar has performed piano, keyboards and electronics on several international television shows and radio shows, written for films, his music has been featured on prime-time American television, he has been interviewed...
, George Makinto, Brian Horton, Kevin Louis, Damon Warmack, amieo Brown] - Tenth World MTM 0000-3 - Kit McClureKit McClureKit McClure is a jazz musician and bandleader of the big band Kit McClure Band and founder of the Women in Jazz Project. In 2004, she started a project to revive interest in the all-female big band, International Sweethearts of Rhythm...
BandKit McClure BandThe Kit McClure Band is an all-female big band and jazz combo begun by Kit McClure in 1982 at The Ritz in New York City. It eventually caught the attention of Cab Calloway and was signed to Island Records, where it toured with Robert Palmer for two years, playing to sold-out crowds at Radio City...
- Just the Thing: The Sweethearts Project Revisited RH 9005 - Lynne Arrialle Trio (Jay Anderson, Steve Davis) - Live MTM-00007
2007
- Marc Cary & Shon 'Chance' Miller - XR Project: AbStraKt
| BlaK MTM-00004 - Pete LevinPete LevinPete Levin is a jazz keyboardist, composer, and horn player with a 15-year association with the Gil Evans Orchestra and an 8-year association with Jimmy Giuffre. As a bandleader, he produced the album Deacon Blues in 2007...
- Deacon Blues featuring Joe BeckJoe BeckJoe Beck was an American guitarist who had been notable in jazz for more than 30 years.Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Beck also briefly flirted with rock music in the late 1960s and early 1970s...
, Mike DeMicco, Danny GottliebDanny GottliebDanny Gottlieb is a freelance drummer who has performed as part of the Pat Metheny Group and Mahavishnu Orchestra. He is also a member of the University of North Florida jazz faculty, where he teaches as a fulltime Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies.- Biography :Danny graduated from the...
, Tony LevinTony LevinTony Levin is an American progressive rock musician, specializing in bass guitar, Chapman stick and upright bass ....
, Ken Lovelett, Carlos ValdezCarlos ValdezCarlos Enrique Valdés Parra is a Colombian footballer who currently plays for the Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer.-Colombia:Valdés began his career in 2005 with Real Cartagena and appeared in 33 league matches...
MTM-0008 - Roni Ben-HurRoni Ben-HurRoni Ben-Hur is a Tunisian-Israeli bebop jazz guitarist who emigrated to the United States in 1985. His third CD, Anna's Dance, was rated by The Village Voice as one of the best jazz CDs of 2001...
- Keepin' It Open with Jeremy Pelt, Ronnie MathewsRonnie MathewsRonnie Mathews was a jazz pianist primarily known for his work with other musicians, including Max Roach from 1963 to 1968 and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. He acted as lead in recording from 1963 and 1978 - 1979...
, Santi DebrianoSanti DebrianoSanti Wilson Debriano is a jazz bassist.Debriano was raised in Brooklyn, having moved there with his family at age four. He studied composition at Union College in New York, then attended the New England Conservatory of Music and Wesleyan University...
, Lewis NashLewis NashLewis Nash is an American jazz drummer. According to Modern Drummer magazine, Nash has one of the longest discographies in jazz. and has played on over 400 records by musicians, earning him the honor of being named Jazz's Most Valuable Player by the magazine in it's May, 2009 issue...
, Steve Kroon 232537 - Rufus ReidRufus ReidRufus Reid is an American jazz bassist, educator, and composer. He lives in Teaneck, New Jersey.-Personal history:...
Quintet (Sumi Tonooka, Tim HornerTim HornerTim Horner is a professional wrestler best known for his "Lightning Express" tag team with Brad Armstrong.-Career:Tim Horner started wrestling in 1982 in the Alabama territory. He formed a tag team called the "Lightning Express" with Brad Armstrong and they had a lot of success. They won the...
, Freddie Hendrix, Rich PerryRich PerryRich Perry is an American jazz tenor saxophonist from Cleveland, Ohio.Rich Perry attended Bowling Green State University for a year before moving to New York. Perry first toured with the Glenn Miller Orchestra in 1975, and followed it with time in the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra the following...
) - Live at the Kennedy Center MTM-00009 (CD+DVD) - Ryan CohanRyan CohanRyan Cohan is a jazz pianist and composer. His style is a blend of world rhythms, traditional jazz, and classical.- Early life and career :...
- One SkyOne SkyOne Sky is a jazz album composed by Ryan Cohan, performed by the RC Sextet and released 16 October 2007 on Motéma Music.The album's name comes from the concept that all of humanity lives under one sky and that, therefore, man cannot operate as a solitary creature...
with Bob SheppardBob Sheppard (musician)Bob Sheppard is an American jazz saxophone player.Sheppard has been a studio musician on a wide range of studio, film and television projects, and has also recorded his own albums...
, Geof Bradfield, Tito Carillo, James CammackJames CammackJames Alfred Conrad Cammack Jr. is an African American bassist, from the region of Cornwall, NY.He is the bassist for the Ahmad Jamal Trio, which includes the founder, Ahmad Jamal and drummer, Idris Muhammad. Cammack both records and tours with the trio...
, Lorin Cohen, Kobie Watkins, Ruben Alvarez, Jean-Christophe Leroy MTM-00012 - Amy LondonAmy LondonAmy London is a jazz singer from Teaneck, New Jersey, United States.London grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. She moved to Manhattan in 1980, and moved to Teaneck with her husband, guitarist Roni Ben-Hur, and daughters, Sofia and Anna, in 1998....
- When I Look in Your Eyes featuring John HicksJohn Hicks (jazz pianist)John Josephus Hicks, Jr. was an American jazz pianist and composer, active in the New York and the international jazz scene from the mid-1960s.-Biography:...
, Lee Musiker, Roni Ben-Hur, Rufus Reid, Leroy WilliamsLeroy WilliamsLeroy Williams is an American jazz drummer.Williams first began playing drums as a teenager in the 1950s. From 1959 to the middle of the 1960s he played with Judy Roberts, and following this he moved to New York City and played with Booker Ervin in 1967...
, Chris Byars MTM-00011 - KJ DenhertKJ DenhertKaren Jeannne Denhert is a Grenadan-American urban folk-jazz artist who has won four Independent Music Award nominations and was named as one of the best female vocalists of 2009 by Jazz.com...
- Lucky 7 MTM-00014
2008
- Antonio CiaccaAntonio CiaccaAntonio Ciacca is an Italian-American jazz pianist, Instructor at the Juilliard School, and Director of Programming at Jazz at Lincoln Center.-Biography:...
Quintet (Kengo Nakamura, Rodney Green, Stacy Dillard, Joe Magnarelli) - Rush Life 232536 - Bujo Kevin Jones - Bujo Kevin Jones & Tenth World Live! with Kelvin SholarKelvin SholarKelvin Lamar Sholar is an American pianist, bandleader, producer and composer. Sholar has performed piano, keyboards and electronics on several international television shows and radio shows, written for films, his music has been featured on prime-time American television, he has been interviewed...
, Brian Horton, Kevin Louis, Joshua David, Jaimeo Brown MTM-00020 - KJ Denhert - Dal Vivo a Umbria Jazz with Bennett Paster, Ray Lavier, Mamadou Ba, John Caban, and featuring Aaron Heick MTM - 00017
- The New Jazz Composers OctetThe New Jazz Composers OctetThe New Jazz Composers Octet is an all-acoustic jazz ensemble founded by trumpeter/arranger David Weiss in 1996. NPR's Josh Jackson described them as "part New York hustle and part writer's workshop, all of it redolent with the aroma of newness." The title track of The Turning Gate won the group...
- The Turning Gate MTM-00019 - Roni Ben-Hur, Gene BertonciniGene Bertoncini-Biography:Bertoncini was born in New York City, where he was raised in a musical family. His father played guitar and harmonica. Bertoncini began playing guitar at age seven and by age sixteen was appearing on television. He graduated from high school and attended the University of Notre Dame,...
- Smile: Jazz Therapy, Volume 1 MTM - 00018
2009
- Lynne Arriale - Nuance: The Bennett Studio Sessions featuring Randy BreckerRandy BreckerRandal "Randy" Brecker is an American trumpeter and flugelhornist. He is a highly sought after performer in the genres of jazz, rock, and R&B, and has performed or recorded with Stanley Turrentine, Billy Cobham, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Sandip Burman, Charles Mingus, Blood, Sweat & Tears,...
, George MrazGeorge MrazGeorge Mraz is a jazz bassist and alto saxophonist. He was a member of Oscar Peterson's group, and has worked with Stan Getz, Tommy Flanagan, Chet Baker and many other important jazz musicians...
, Anthony Pinciotti MTM-00022 - Charnett MoffettCharnett MoffettCharnett Moffett is an American jazz musician who plays piccolo bass, double bass and bass guitar.Moffett's given name was created as a combination of that of his father and that of Ornette Coleman...
- The Art of Improvisation with Will CalhounWill CalhounWill Calhoun is an American drummer, who graduated with honors from Berklee College of Music.-Career:...
, Yunchen Lhamo, Pat JonesPatrick Stanfield JonesPatrick Stanfield Jones is a musician and singer-songwriter whose music is a mix of rock, jazz, and blues. He is a brother of transsexual jazz percussionist Koko Jones, and they have performed and recorded together. He has been a member of the touring casts of Jesus Christ Superstar and Oh,...
MTM-21 - Sertab ErenerSertab ErenerSertab Erener is a Turkish pop music singer and also a cross-over soprano with a vocal range that extends to high F. She is one of the most successful female Turkish pop singers in her homeland, and is considered one of the divas of Turkish pop music...
, Demir DemirkanDemir DemirkanDemir Demirkan is a Turkish musician, Eurovision Song Contest winning composer, formerly guitarist for thrash metal band Mezarkabul. Demir Demirkan started his music life when he was 13 and played guitar with various groups in college...
- Painted on Water MTM23 - Oran EtkinOran EtkinOran Etkin is an internationally acclaimed jazz/world artist and composer who is known for giving music classes for children in New York City. He recently released Wake Up Clarinet!, his first release in the genre of family music...
- Kelenia MTM - 24 - Tessa SouterTessa SouterTessa Souter is an English and Trinidadian singer-songwriter based in New York City, one of New York's leading jazz vocalists. Her music has Spanish, Northern African, Middle Eastern, Indian, Brazilian, flamenco, and Celtic influences...
- Obsession MTM-27 - Babatunde Lea's Umbo Weti: A Tribute to Leon ThomasLeon ThomasAmos Leon Thomas Jr was an American avant garde jazz singer from East St. Louis, Illinois.Thomas studied music at Tennessee State University. In the 1960s he was a vocalist for Count Basie and others....
with Dwight Trible, Ernie WattsErnie WattsErnest James "Ernie" Watts is an American jazz and rhythm and blues musician. He plays saxophone and flute. He might be best known for his work with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and his Grammy Awards as an instrumentalist...
, Patrice RushenPatrice RushenPatrice Rushen is a Grammy Award-winning African American R&B and jazz vocalist, composer and pianist.-Biography:...
, Gary Brown MTM-25 - Alexis ColeAlexis ColeAlexis Cole is a New York City-based jazz vocalist with five albums to her credit. She has performed at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola , Smoke, The Oak Room, and The Kitano, among others...
- The Greatest Gift MTM-26 - N.E.D.N.E.D.No Evidence of Disease or N.E.D. is an adult-oriented alternative/folk rock band whose members are all medical doctors, mostly gynecologists and gynecologic oncologists. Their members include John Bogess, M.D. on lead vocals, guitar, and harmonica; Joanie M. Hope, M.D. on lead vocals and guitar;...
- No Evidence of Disease MTM-29 - Ithamara KooraxIthamara KooraxIthamara Koorax is a popular Brazilian pop-jazz singer.-Discography:*2009 - Bim Bom - The Complete João Gilberto Songbook - Motéma Music*2007 - Brazilian Butterfly - IRMA...
, Juarez MoreiraJuarez Moreira-References:...
- Bim Bom - The Complete João GilbertoJoão GilbertoJoão Gilberto Prado Pereira de Oliveira, known as João Gilberto , is a Brazilian singer and guitarist. His seminal recordings, including many songs by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, established the new musical genre of Bossa nova in the late 1950s.-Biography:From an early age, music...
Songbook (Jazz Therapy, Vol. 2) MTM-30 - Roni Ben-Hur - Fortuna with Ronnie MathewsRonnie MathewsRonnie Mathews was a jazz pianist primarily known for his work with other musicians, including Max Roach from 1963 to 1968 and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. He acted as lead in recording from 1963 and 1978 - 1979...
, Rufus Reid, Lewis NashLewis NashLewis Nash is an American jazz drummer. According to Modern Drummer magazine, Nash has one of the longest discographies in jazz. and has played on over 400 records by musicians, earning him the honor of being named Jazz's Most Valuable Player by the magazine in it's May, 2009 issue...
, Steve Kroon MTM-28 - 2009 Motéma Summer Sampler
- Antonio Ciacca Quintet (Kengo Nakamura, Ulysses Owens, Stacy Dillard, Steve Grossman) - LagosLagosLagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
Blues MTM-32 - 2009 Motéma Winter Sampler
2010
- Rufus Reid featuring Steve AlleeSteve AlleeSteve Allee is an American jazz musician and composer.Allee attended Ben Davis High Schoolin Indianapolis, Indiana. Allee was in a band during the early 1970s called the Baron Von Ohlen Quartet which self-released an album of the same name...
& Duduka da Fonseca - Out Front MTM-36 - Tomoko SugawaraTomoko SugawaraTomoko Sugawara is a harpist from Nara, Japan who grew up playing classical and Irish harp before learning to play the kugo or angular harp. With Swedish professor Bo Lawergren, she engineered a fully working model of a kugo and hired American harp builder Bill Campbell to construct it...
- Along the Silk Road with Robert Dick and Ozan Aksöy MTM-31 - Geri AllenGeri AllenGeri Allen is an American composer/pianist educator jazz pianist, raised in Detroit, Michigan, and educated in the Detroit Public Schools. Allen has worked with many of the greats of modern music, including Ornette Coleman, Ron Carter, Ravi Coltrane, Tony Williams, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette,...
- Flying Toward the Sound MTM-37 - Lynne Arriale - Solo MTM-38 [unreleased]
- Sertab Erener, Demir Demirkan - Love (EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
) MTM-44 [digital download; only promo CDs exist] - Marc Cary - Focus Trio Live 2009 MTM-33
- Patrick Stanfield JonesPatrick Stanfield JonesPatrick Stanfield Jones is a musician and singer-songwriter whose music is a mix of rock, jazz, and blues. He is a brother of transsexual jazz percussionist Koko Jones, and they have performed and recorded together. He has been a member of the touring casts of Jesus Christ Superstar and Oh,...
- A Heart and an Open Road with Barry Wiesenfeld, Don GardnerDon GardnerDon Gardner is an American rhythm and blues drummer and vocalist.Born in Philadelphia, Gardner had formed his own group, the Sonotones, in 1953, but teamed up with Dee Dee Ford in the early 1960s to have his biggest successes. Their biggest hit was "I Need Your Lovin'," a Top 20 hit in 1962...
, Steven 'Muddy' Roues, Rave Tesar, Jana Herzen, Kit McClure, Erik Lawrence, Chip Larison MTM-39 - Gregory PorterGregory PorterGregory Porter is a Grammy Award-nominated jazz vocalist for his 2010 release, Water, on Motéma Music. He was also a member of the original Broadway cast of It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues...
- Water MTM-41 - Charnett Moffett - Treasure MTM-43
- Geri Allen and TimelineTimeline (band)Timeline is a contemporary jazz band consisting of Kenny Davis, , Kassa Overall , and Maurice Chestnut . They have been touring with Geri Allen since 2007. Their live album with Allen was a 2010 nominee for the Independent Music Awards. The group received the Monterey Jazz Festival's 2011 grant...
- Live MTM-42 - Ryan Cohan - Another Look MTM-45
- Motéma Music Summer Sampler 2010
- Oran Etkin - Wake Up Clarinet! MTM-TMB-46-1
- Sameer GuptaSameer GuptaSameer Gupta is a San Francisco-based jazz percussionist, tabla player, and composer. He is the founder of the jazz ensemble The Supplicants and drummer for the Marc Cary Focus Trio...
- Namaskar with Marc Cary, Pt. Ramesh Misra, Srinivas Reddy, David Boyce, Prasant Radhakrishnan, Charith Premawardanan, David Ewell MTM-49 - Randy WestonRandy WestonRandy Weston , is an American jazz pianist and composer, of Jamaican parentage.-Biography:Weston studied classical piano as a child. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, he ran a restaurant that was frequented by many of the leading bebop musicians...
- The Storyteller MTM-51 - KJ Denhert - Album No. 9 MTM-47
- Bettina JonicBettina JonicBettina Jonic is a theatre artist, singer, dancer, writer, poet, director, and the founder of London's Actors Work Group.-History:Jonic was raised in Los Angeles, California to Croatian parents. She studied ballet for ten years with Theodore Kosloff and Bronislava Nijenska, then studied music and...
- The Bitter Mirror: Songs by Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and Bertolt BrechtBertolt BrechtBertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
MTM-50 (reissue of 1975 album)
2011
- Amy London - Let's Fly featuring Roni Ben-Hur, Santi DebrianoSanti DebrianoSanti Wilson Debriano is a jazz bassist.Debriano was raised in Brooklyn, having moved there with his family at age four. He studied composition at Union College in New York, then attended the New England Conservatory of Music and Wesleyan University...
, Steve WilliamsSteve Williams (jazz drummer)Stephen Edward Williams is an American jazz drummer.For twenty-five years he has collaborated with jazz pianist and singer Shirley Horn.-From Washington DC:...
, Steve Kroon, Tadro Hammer, Glauco Sagebin, Richard WyandsRichard WyandsRichard Wyands is a hard bop pianist best known as a side-man. He began playing in his teens in San Francisco, but later moved to New York City. He worked with Kenny Burrell in the 1960s and also played in Gigi Gryce's quintet...
MTM-56 - Lynne Arriale - Convergence MTM-54
- Rondi CharlestonRondi CharlestonRondi Charleston is a Juilliard-educated jazz vocalist and songwriter with four albums to her credit. She is also an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning television journalist and investigative reporter for Primetime....
- Who Knows Where the Time Goes with Dave StrykerDave StrykerDave Stryker is an American jazz guitarist. He has 21 CD’s as a leader to date, and has been a featured sideman with Stanley Turrentine, Jack McDuff, and Kevin Mahogany, among others...
, James GenusJames GenusJames Genus is an American jazz bassist. He plays both electric bass guitar and upright bass and currently plays in the Saturday Night Live Band. Genus has performed as a session musician and sideman throughout his career, with an impressive list of artists with whom he has worked.Genus was born...
, Clarence Penn, Lynne Arriale, Brandon McCune, Mayra Casales MTM-55 - René MarieRene marieRené Marie is a songwriter and jazz vocalist. She began her professional music career at age 42. In 1999, she performed at Blues Alley in Washington, D.C. and signed a contract with the St. Louis-based MAXJAZZ label...
- Voice of My Beautiful Country MTM-59 - T.K. Blue - Latin Bird featuring Willie Martinez, Roland Guerrero, Essiet O. Essiet, Theo Hill and special guests Lewis NashLewis NashLewis Nash is an American jazz drummer. According to Modern Drummer magazine, Nash has one of the longest discographies in jazz. and has played on over 400 records by musicians, earning him the honor of being named Jazz's Most Valuable Player by the magazine in it's May, 2009 issue...
, Steve TurreSteve TurreSteve Turre is a trombonist, recording artist, arranger, and educator. In 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2006 he won the Down Beat Reader's Poll for best trombonist....
MTM-57 - 2011 Motéma Music Sampler
- Rufus Reid & Out Front (Steve Allee & Duduka da Fonseca) featuring Toninho HortaToninho HortaToninho Horta is a virtuoso electric and nylon-string guitar player; his music could be defined as Brazilian music.He has developed his own very personal style...
, Bobby WatsonBobby WatsonBobby Watson is an American post-bop jazz alto saxophonist, composer, producer, and educator. Watson now has 26 recordings as a leader. He appears on nearly 100 other recordings as either co-leader or in a supporting role...
, Freddie Hendrix, JD Allen - Hues of a Different Blue MTM-58 - Malika ZarraMalika ZarraMalika Zarra is a Moroccan-born, French-raised singer, composer, and music producer now based in New York City known for singing in Moroccan Arabic, Berber, French, and English. Her music has been on the JazzWeek Top 20 radio chart in world music....
- Berber Taxi MTM-60 - Roseanna VitroRoseanna Vitro- Biography :Born Roseanna Elizabeth Vitro in Hot Springs, Arkansas on February 28, 1951, Vitro began singing at an early age, drawing inspiration from various musical genres like gospel, rock, and R&B, theatre, and classical music. Her father owned a night club in Hot Springs, Arkansas in the '50s...
- The Music of Randy NewmanRandy NewmanRandall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
, arranged by Mark Soskin with Sara Caswell, Dean JohnsonDean JohnsonDean Elton Johnson is a former Minnesota politician and a member of the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota...
, Tim HornerTim HornerTim Horner is a professional wrestler best known for his "Lightning Express" tag team with Brad Armstrong.-Career:Tim Horner started wrestling in 1982 in the Alabama territory. He formed a tag team called the "Lightning Express" with Brad Armstrong and they had a lot of success. They won the...
, Jamey HaddadJamey HaddadJamey George Haddad is an American percussionist working primarily in the fields of jazz and world music, and specializing in hand drums.-Biography:...
, Steve CardenasSteve CardenasStephen Antonio Cardenas is a former Mexican-American actor and martial artist, perhaps most noted for playing Rocky DeSantos in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV series....
MTM-65 - Nilson MattaNilson MattaNilson Matta is a premier Brazilian bassist and composer. He has been based in New York City since 1985. He is also known for his work with Trio Da Paz, Don Pullen African Brazilian Connection, Joe Henderson, Yo Yo Ma and Nilson Matta's Brazilian Voyage....
and Roni Ben-Hur with Victor LewisVictor LewisVictor Lewis is an American jazz drummer, a major force in the genre since the 1980s.-As leader:*1992: Family Portrait - with John Stubblefield, Edward Simon, Cecil McBee, Don Alias, Jumma Santos...
and CaféCafé (musician)Café is the stage name of Edson Aparecido da Silva, sometimes credited as Edson da Silva or Café da Silva, a percussionist, singer, composer, and music producer born in Villa Maria, São Paulo, Brazil. He moved to the U.S...
- Mojave - Jazz Therapy, Vol. 3 MTM-64 - Jean-Michel PilcJean-Michel PilcJean-Michel Pilc is a self-taught French-born jazz pianist currently residing in New York. His technical ability has drawn comparisons to Michel Petrucciani, McCoy Tyner, and Cecil Taylor. Of particular note is Pilc's left-hand technique, which provides an almost ambidextrous approach to the...
- Essential MTM-61 - Monty AlexanderMonty AlexanderMonty Alexander is a jazz pianist and melodica player. His playing has a strong Caribbean influence and swinging feeling, but he has also been influenced by Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Wynton Kelly, and Ahmad Jamal.-Biography:Alexander discovered the piano at the age of 4, taking classical music...
- Harlem - Kingston Express Live! with Karl Wright, Yotam Silberstein, Hassan Shakur, Obed Calvaire. Robert ThomasRobert ThomasRobert Thomas, Rob Thomas or Bob Thomas is the name of:* Rob Thomas , singer-songwriter, lead singer of Matchbox Twenty* Robert Thomas , 18th-century British counterfeiter, see Cragg Coiners...
, Hoova Simpson, Andy Bassford MTM-67 - JC StyllesJC StyllesJC Stylles is the performing name of jazz guitarist Jason Campbell , an Australian based in New York City since 2005...
featuring Pat BianchiPat BianchiPat Bianchi is an American jazz organist. In 2010, Downbeat named him among the ten best organists in jazz. He took up piano at age seven and began formal lessons at age 12. He studied classical piano at the Eastman School of Music and jazz piano at the Berklee School of Music. His second album...
and Lawrence Leathers - Exhilaration and Other States MTM-68 - A Moving SoundA Moving Sound聲動劇場 or A Moving Sound is a Taiwanese music act consisting of vocalist/dancer Mia Hsieh, vocalist, bass guitarist and zhong ruan player Scott Prairie, erhu players Zheng-Jun Wu and Tang-Hsuan Lo, guitarist and zhong ruan player Hua-Zhou Hsieh, and satar player Yi-Chen Chang...
- A Moving Sound [compilation from their second and third albums] MTM-71 - Pilc Moutin Hoenig - Threedom MTM-72
- René Marie - Black Lace Freudian Slip with Kevin BalesKevin BalesKevin Bales is an expert on modern slavery and President of Free the Slaves. Free the Slaves is the US sister organization of Anti-Slavery International, the world’s oldest human rights organization. He is currently based in Washington, D.C....
, Rodney Jordan, Kenneth Baxter, Quentin Baxter, Bill Kopper, Lionel Young, Dexter Payne, Michael A. Croan MTM-74 - David Murray Cuban Ensemble plays Nat King ColeNat King ColeNathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
en EspañolCole EspañolCole Español is a 1958 studio album by Nat King Cole, arranged by Nelson Riddle. One of three Spanish themed albums that Cole recorded, it was followed by A Mis Amigos and by More Cole Español in 1962...
with special guests Daniel MelingoDaniel MelingoDaniel Melingo is an Argentine musician, with a background in rock . He is now a tango artist and tours with his band Los Ramones del tango.-Biography:...
, Juanjo Mosalini, The Sinfonieta of Sines MTM-73 - Geri Allen - A Child Is Born MTM-69
- Kelvin SholarKelvin SholarKelvin Lamar Sholar is an American pianist, bandleader, producer and composer. Sholar has performed piano, keyboards and electronics on several international television shows and radio shows, written for films, his music has been featured on prime-time American television, he has been interviewed...
- Rites of Fire: Visions of Stravinsky
External links
- Official site
- Motéma Music's channel on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....