Catalog #: RR7928
Release Date: April 8, 2016
21st CenturyChamberCelloPercussionSaxophoneThe Ravello Records release ACE COMPOSERS features the music of three composers in the same family: Alan Schmitz and his two sons, Christopher and Eric. Though Alan describes the three composers as having different influences, their music is linked by connections to popular musical genres, which each references in some manner in a work featured on the album.
Catalog #: RR8083
Release Date: January 13, 2023
21st CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalPianoSaxophoneWhile it isn't entirely unusual for musicians to raise musical children, it is fairly rare for a composer to have not one, but two sons who also compose. This is the case for composition professor Alan Schmitz, who, together with his sons Christopher and Eric, presents of ACE COMPOSERS II, a curated selection of contemporary chamber music which proves that the apple sometimes does fall further from the tree, at least in some regards. It would be impossible to mistake either one's works for that of any of the others: too distinct are the individual idiosyncrasies – the swooping, late-Romantic phrases, the sober, experimental minimalism, and the jazzy groove. Nevertheless, they are all united by one commonality – aesthetic appeal seems to run in the family.
Catalog #: RR8082
Release Date: December 9, 2022
21st CenturyChamberFluteGuitarSaxophoneOn CENTER CHAMBER, wind, string, and keyboard instrumentalists come together to perform a collection of original and intimate compositions that include the saxophone — particularly Paul Cohen’s conn-o-sax, a rare and long forgotten instrument given new life in contemporary works. The conn-o-sax brings a dark, contemplative quality and infuses a unique tonal and musical spirit to these often lively, brooding, and captivating works. The engaging and brilliant intimacy of the playing eloquently reveals the unique emotional and musical bonds that tie together these exceptional artists. Listeners will undoubtedly agree: CENTER CHAMBER offers a listening experience as special and engaging as the instrument it features.
Catalog #: RR8077
Release Date: November 4, 2022
21st CenturyChamberPercussionSaxophoneThere are a number of established, conservative duo setups in Western music; but DRAX isn't one of them, and doesn't want to be. The saxophone-percussion duo, consisting of saxophonist Leo Saguiguit and percussionist Megan Arns, may be firmly rooted in contemporary American academia, but their music is one thing first and foremost: positively rebellious.
Catalog #: RR8041
Release Date: September 11, 2020
21st CenturyAvant-GardeChamberClarinetElectroacousticElectronicSaxophoneJeff Morris presents his fourth Ravello Records release, this one focusing on woodwinds and employing his characteristic live sampling and electronics. CLOSE REEDING is the latest since HEARING VOICES, an album which set its sights on the most fundamentally-human musical instrument: the human voice. Now, Morris turns his attention to woodwind instruments, which he terms the “next most human” family of instruments. By way of digital manipulation and live improvisation, Morris gives this thesis a convincing exposition.
Catalog #: RR8003
Release Date: January 11, 2019
21st CenturyChamberFluteSaxophoneOn CROSSWIND, flutist Erin Helgeson Torres and saxophonist Michael Rene Torres, who have performed as Tower Duo since 2007, deliver a stunning set of performances which utilize flute and saxophone. Each performance evokes a sensory or psychological experience as wide-ranging as the various sensations encountered in a wet, humid environment, or the juxtaposition of consonance and dissonance. The album accentuates the duo’s emphasis on performing and premiering contemporary works by emerging composers, such as PARMA label-mates Chin Ting Chan and Scott Brickman, as well as one of Torres’ own compositions, the complex and introspective Four Short Episodes.
Catalog #: RR7976
Release Date: November 10, 2017
21st CenturyChamberCelloElectronicSaxophoneNew from Ravello Records is DECADE ZERO, a compilation of works for instruments and electronics by Christopher Biggs. The works integrate traditional instruments with live electronic processing and sound files. Biggs’ compositions focus on environmental, political, and scientific extra-musical concepts relevant to today’s world. Featuring the Western Brass Quintet, the title track, Decade Zero explores the last period in time when humanity can take decisive action to combat climate change without facing irrevocable changes to our world.
Catalog #: RR7925
Release Date: February 12, 2016
21st CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalLarge EnsemblePianoSaxophoneComposer Joseph Koykkar, described by American Record Guide as writing “music with a crystalline kind of clarity and rhythmic urgency that places him among the more exciting of contemporary composers,” presents his debut full-length release on Ravello Records DOUBLE TAKES AND TRIPLE PLAYS. Featuring works spanning a 20-year period in the composer’s career, this album exemplifies Koykkar’s practical approach to writing, dictated by the bounds and the interplay within chamber ensemble combinations, occasionally using computer-generated sounds.
Catalog #: RR8024
Release Date: November 15, 2019
21st CenturyChamberCelloHarpsichordSaxophoneOn Ravello Records, London composer and saxophonist Sophya Polevaya offers ELECTRIC SCENT, a series of 19 instrumental meditations on the mythic power of flowers and perfumery.
Catalog #: RR7986
Release Date: April 13, 2018
21st CenturyChamberCelloElectroacousticSaxophoneDavid Taddie’s new album FANCY COLORS blurs the spectrum between acoustic and electronic music into an unorthodox wave of sound. In contrast to the primary characteristics of each type of music, Taddie creates sophisticated, complex compositions by blending the sounds of string and woodwind instruments with the influence of computer-generated effects. Written and recorded over two decades, FANCY COLORS is the result of Taddie’s exploration of timbre and space using the electronic medium. The eight tracks on the album expand the boundaries of the otherwise conventional sounds of instruments like the flute and piano to a grandiose level.
Catalog #: RR7968
Release Date: June 9, 2017
20th CenturyChamberVocal MusicElectronicSaxophoneVoiceOn FROM A FAR-OFF WORLD (2006), saxophonist and bass clarinetist Demetrius Spaneas performs compositions for woodwinds and electronics. Along with two interludes for alto saxophone composed by Spaneas, the album includes Shaun Naidoo’s Walking in the Dirt for bass clarinet and Blood on the Pattern for alto saxophone, along with Jane Brockman’s Tagore Songs for soprano saxophone.
Catalog #: RR8057
Release Date: September 10, 2021
20th CenturyChamberFluteHarpsichordSaxophoneFrom compelling solo interpretations to dramatic instrumental flourishes, saxophonist Paul Cohen revives original works for saxophone that were lost or unknown for decades. On HEARD AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME, Cohen is joined by the Eastern Wind Symphony under Todd Nichols and an impressive roster of soloists who breathe fresh life into this centuries-spanning collection.
Catalog #: RR7971
Release Date: August 11, 2017
21st CenturyChamberGuitarPianoSaxophoneExciting new Ravello Records release I DREAM AWAKE consists of chamber music composed by new PARMA composer Bill Whitley. Whitley’s music is characterized by meditative and trance-like qualities inspired by various forms of meditation practice, and, above all, the artistic installations of Alexander Calder. Indeed, Whitley’s music seems to be primarily concerned with depicting and embodying experiences, whether they be sensory, natural, spiritual, or human experiences.
Catalog #: RR8042
Release Date: August 21, 2020
21st CenturyAvant-GardePercussionPianoSaxophone"I had inquired with a few friends a few months earlier to attempt to take advantage of the stop by setting up a performance opportunity for myself. I learned that there was a great house-concert situation at "Tom's Place" in Berkeley, and was able to secure a date. I was also very lucky to be able to contact and enlist the wonderful keyboardist Eric Glick Rieman, who works often with prepared keyboards. I had some familiarity with his work through my years of hosting the weekly radio program of "creative instrumental music" called The New Edge, on WMBR in Cambridge, MA. A few musicians were suggested to round out the trio, and we were fortunate to end up with fantastically creative percussionist and gong player Karen Stackpole."
Catalog #: RR8013
Release Date: May 10, 2019
21st CenturyChamberElectronicPercussionSaxophoneThe 15 tracks on Thad Anderson’s LINES & SPACES are from his Lines series, based on his compositional technique called “duration lines” that create both structure and polyrhythmic interest. Anderson integrates traditional instruments with fixed media, live processing, and tuned metals to create pieces that are infinitely malleable.
Catalog #: RR7889
Release Date: June 10, 2014
21st CenturyChamberPianoSaxophoneThe breadth of musical textures and colors capable of being produced by a piano and saxophone pairing is larger than expected. Turning expectations upside-down, METROPOLIS, the debut release on Ravello Records by the Harrington/Loewen Duo, comprised of saxophonist Allen Harrington and pianist Laura Loewen, highlights the adventurous and unpredictable approach to the two instruments.
Catalog #: RR8010
Release Date: April 12, 2019
21st CenturyChamberSaxophoneThe Fuego Quartet, featuring saxophonists Nicki Roman, Erik Elmgren, Harrison Clarke, and Gabriel Piqué, makes their Ravello Records debut with the innovative MIGRATION, a collection that demonstrates the versatility and complexity of the saxophone as it migrates through genre boundaries.
Catalog #: RR7815
Release Date: July 26, 2011
21st CenturyChamberElectronicSaxophonePHANTASM is a digital release featuring the culmination of Missouri-based composer, saxophonist and audio engineer Eric Honour’s two-year project to blend all of his interests into one entity. Honour received these compositions for saxophone and computer and took them on tour, finally recording the program in studio. The resulting music explores the connections between old and new, ranging from rural folk sounds to experimental microtones and explorations of saxophone technique to physically triggered computer processing.
Catalog #: RR8048
Release Date: December 11, 2020
21st CenturyChamberElectronicPianoSaxophoneComposer and guitarist Jonathan Badger presents his newest album, PIANO QUARTETS, on Ravello Records. This EP of works for piano and saxophone trio is the artist’s first leap into the classical music world; his earlier albums have included an eclectic mix of musical styles ranging from post-rock to neo-baroque chamber music.
Catalog #: RR7989
Release Date: August 10, 2018
21st CenturyChamberOrchestralOrchestraSaxophoneWind EnsembleRichard Brooks’ PLACES IN TIME travels through the acclaimed composer’s personal history with each piece representing a different period in the composer’s life. Many of these recordings were originally released by Brooks’ label, Capstone Records. Each piece gains new life as Brooks and Ravello Records team up to share this fascinating work in tonality, soundscapes, and emotional sway with a new generation of music lovers.