Art Ensemble of Chicago | Anthony Braxton | Henry Threadgill | Roscoe Mitchell | Don Moye | Nicole Mitchell | Thomas Sayers Ellis | Matthew Shipp | Dudù Kouate | Wayne Horvitz | Michael Formanek | Liberty Ellman | Ches Smith | Jonathan Finlayson | Matt Mitchell | Silke Eberhard | Marty Ehrlich | Camilla Battaglia | Anthony Davis | Elliott Sharp | Dave Burrell | Rosa Brunello | Gabriele Mirabassi | Andrea Rebaudengo | Filarmônica de Pasàrgada  | Hermeto Pascoal | Egberto Gismonti | João Bosco | Arrigo Barnabé | Yamandu Costa | Toninho Ferragutti | Anelis Assumpção | Siba | Mônica Salmaso | Stefano Bollani | Gabriele Mitelli | O-Janà | Elaine Mitchener | Steph Richards | Louis Sclavis | Claudio Fasoli | Luke Stewart | Amirtha Kidambi | Orchestra Creativa dell'Emilia Romagna | Eric Mingus

Let's open this newsletter with a song. Perhaps one of the best ways to commemorate a person after death is throughtout the music. And what a music. R.I.P. Arch

Still continuing to commemorate, last October Steph Richards performed at Roulette her Supersense and she dedicated the second part of the evening to Butch and Dino. A longtime collaborator with J. A. "Dino" Deane (they released a duo record in 2018) and a years-long performer under Lawrence D. "Butch" Morris, Steph picks up the baton in their honor to conduct an ensemble of deeply creative and beautiful Conduction collaborators including Brandon Ross, Doug Weiselman, Sara Schoenbeck, and other special guests.

The Center for American Music of University of Pittsburgh announced its first annual research and travel grant and researchers are invited to request up to $2000 to support research in the Center’s collections in which Dave Burrell Archive is currently being processed.

Orchestra Creativa dell'Emilia Romagna - OCER a new project created by Akamu.
This new Creative Orchestra is an ensemble made up of musicians active internationally, coming from different parts of Italy and resident in the region Emilia-Romagna, who have been active for years in the field of experimental, creative, impro music and avant-jazz. This ensemble will produce a repertoire presented as an absolute premiere. The idea of a Creative Orchestra stems from the intention of inviting musicians of international standing to conduct it. These guests will be encouraged to write and/or organize music specially designed for the ensemble.
The Orchestra Creativa made its debut in Modena last 18th December with Gunther "Baby" Sommer as a special guest.
OCER will play on March 18th at Torrione. International guests will be Wayne Horvitz, Robin Holcomb and Steph Richards

Another awesome news is the joining of Eric Mingus and Nicole Mitchell in Akamu's roster. Welcome Eric and Welcome Back Nicole!

Next releases
 
Next concerts with Akamu

- Steph Richards interviewed by Simon Rentner on WBGO after the release of "Zephyr" last October. The album's got interesting reviews:
Downbeat Editor's Pick, "an album so strong and innovative...",
PopMatters "Zephyr is a beast that, in everyone’s interest, shouldn’t be tamed"
Free Jazz Collective.

- Michael Formanek tells how he became a musician.

- Ches Smith's We All Break with 'Path of Seven Colors' on Pyroclastic Records got very good reviews too. The following are only few of them:
The Wire "Path of Seven colors promises to make the spirits take notice" by Emily Pothast;
DownBeat by Allen Morrison;
Jazzwise “Remarkable….blending vocals that have a deeply uplifting quality with rhythms that are coursing with irresistible vitality…Path of Seven Colors sees him go to the next level in terms of flourishing ideas and focused application” by Kevin Le Gendre;
All About Jazz by Karl Ackerman, Jerome Wilson and Vic Albani;
The Guardian by John Fordam;
JazzTimes by A.D. Amorosi.

The Guardian 10 Best Jazz Album of 2021:
at n. 8 Anthony Braxton with Quartet (Standards) 2020
at n. 1 Ches Smith's We All Break with Path Of Seven Colors!
Congrats!!!

It's time to say goodbye to 2021. Unfortunately we are not going to do the same thing with pandemic. But looking at that in a positive way, as Nate Chinen demonstrates "improvisation is a life strategy". 
And not only for jazz community we would add.

So open the gates to a bright future and keep on improvising or begin to do it: these are our best wishes for a very happy and creative New Year!