2020 brings the busiest year to date for Birmingham-based label Stoney Lane Records, with eight new releases spanning a whole world of jazz-inspired originals.
Early spring brings innovative bassist and electronic improviser Chris Mapp’s debut recording from his new ambient trio stillefelt. Following the success of Mapp’s 2017 double release on Stoney Lane with his band Gonimoblast, featuring Maja SK Ratkje and Arve Henriksen – garnering acclaim from The Guardian, The Wire, BBC and UK jazz press – the stillefelt debut is a dynamically quieter response to Gonimoblast, featuring Mapp on bass and electronics, trumpter Percy Pursglove and guitarist Thomas Seminar Ford.
stillefelt play the inaugural Punkt Festival in Birmingham and the Cheltenham Jazz Festival alongside the April release. [More here]
May begins with a bang, with the arrival of the first full studio album from Young Pilgrims – the addictive young brass band brimming with jazz-rock energy. Led by dynamic trombonist Richard Foote, We’re Young Pilgrims brings together their adventurous brass-heavy, rock-influenced sound with an explosive nine-strong line-up, featuring trumpets and trombones alongside the baritone sax, sousaphone and two drummers driving the band’s high-energy rhythmic groove.
May also takes Stoney Lane back to the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, producing the UK’s largest pop-up jazz record store at the festival, featuring a host of artist signings, music from independent UK labels to ECM and Blue Note, and an extensive catalogue of new and classic releases on CD and vinyl.
The third Stoney Lane release of the year comes from wonderful Birmingham-born saxophonist Alex Woods, along with his New York/Scandinavian Quartet, for his debut Highline, inspired by three years of living in NYC. Using the classic sax – piano – bass – drums quartet, Highline branches off in new directions of improvisation with strands of folk, blues and classical influences pulling together Alex’s album of adventurous originals.
Summer opens with a special limited edition vinyl release from captivating singer, songwriter, pianist and composer Sara Colman, featuring her full band and string section performing arrangements of Sara’s favourite Joni Mitchell music, along with several of her own originals featured on her 2017 CD release, What We’re Made Of.
The second half of 2020 sees two exciting large ensemble recordings, a UK-US collaboration and pan-European compilation.
We return to the source of the first Stoney Lane release back in 2016 – Vuelta, from the Mike Fletcher Trio – and Mike’s new big band project, the saxophonist venturing along an intriguing part-improv part-scored path.
Pianist and composer Hans Koller follows up his spectacular triple-vinyl release Retrospection with a stellar recording featuring the German NDR Bigband, celebrated pianist Marc Copland and guitar magician Mike Walker.
Highly rated young Birmingham-based pianist/composer Dave Ferris leads his 7-piece band featuring special guest collaboration with US guitarist Peter Bernstein, with the year closing with a special live compilation album, in collaboration with Birmingham City University, featuring UK saxophonist Trish Clowes, Dutch vocalist and vibraphonist Sanne Huijbregts, Norwegian born guitarist Haftor Medbøe, and Birmingham’s own Mike Fletcher (ft Olie Brice and Jeff Williams).
