02/12/2025
Some recent new releases from Challenge Records International - Double Moon Records:
AMARÉ: A musical tribute to the sea, to love, and to the ever-shifting tides of inspiration between Brazil and Europe. The title blends a maré (the tide) and amar é (to love is), capturing the album’s essence: movement, emotion, and surrender. Vocalist Céline Rudolph, pianist Henrique Gomide, and guitarist João Luís Nogueira come together in an intuitive dialogue where Brazilian rhythms and jazz improvisation meet in perfect flow.
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Quality Time In NYC is a vocal jazz project by the German vocalist Erik Leuthäuser. The album features 19 tracks, including standards, rare gems, and one bonus track with Erik’s original German lyric to Miles Davis’s “Little Willie Leaps”. Recorded in New York with esteemed collaborators such as Alan Broadbent, Ken Peplowski, Allen Farnham, Steve LaSpina, and Rich DeRosa.
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First Flight marks the debut album of saxophonist and composer George Kontomichalis. Rooted in jazz traditions like post-bop, hard bop, and modal jazz, it blends classic influences with modern improvisation and introspection. The album reflects the collective creativity of the ensemble, highlighting interplay, rhythm, and spontaneous exploration. With six original compositions and one standard, the record serves as a personal journey and an invitation for listeners to experience both energy and reflection.