A refreshing, classics-oriented offering by the veteran drummer’s trusty “little big band” — featuring standards from “Bye, Bye Blackbird” to the Beatles — arrives next month via Circle 9

Jazz isn’t just on the ground floor of American popular music; it’s essential to its continued evolution. Even as its mainstream cachet declined, the eclectic AOR greats of the 20th century, like the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Earth Wind & Fire, and Tower of Power, imbued their music with jazz’s values: advanced harmonies, sophisticated rhythms, and open frameworks. Jazz answered with hip, sophisticated arrangements of pop tunes.

Joe Syrian, the veteran drummer and leader of the Motor City Jazz Octet, understands this dialogue — and their new album, Secret Message, out November 15 via Circle 9 Records — is an effervescent toast to elite popular music in all its forms, from standards like Ray Henderson’s “Bye, Bye Blackbird” and Cole Porter’s “Night and Day” to pop/rock classics like the Beatles’ “Here, There and Everywhere,” Leon Russell’s “This Masquerade.” and Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing.”

Trumpeter Jonathan Powell combines his profound experience in the New York Latin jazz scene with his depth of love for electric jazz on Mambo Jazz Party, out August 9 via Circle 9

From the first seconds of the opening track, trumpeter Jonathan Powell immediately signals that his new album Mambo Jazz Party is no ordinary record. With irresistible layers of groove and the indomitably danceable feels of Latin Jazz spurred eternally forward by the campana (cowbell), the audience is instantly hooked. Drawing on two decades of expertise as a sideman for Latin Jazz legends such as Eddie Palmieri, Arturo O’Farrill, Miguel Zenon, Oscar Hernandez and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, and Tito Puente Jr., Powell assembles a rotating 18-piece ensemble that brings the party of great, danceable Latin Jazz and Mambo and combines it with the aesthetic of modern electric jazz on Mambo Jazz Party, releasing August 9, 2024 via Circle 9.

Circle 9 is excited to welcome cuban tresero Kiki Valera y su Son Cubano aboard our artist roster.

Miami, FL – 11 de marzo de 2024 - Son cubano, uno de los estilos musicales más populares en Cuba, encuentra en Kiki Valera a uno de sus exponentes más destacados. A lo largo del último siglo, este estilo de música tradicional cubana ha influido en diversos géneros musicales, incluyendo el jazz, el cha-cha-chá, el mambo, la salsa, el songo y la timba. El son cubano es la música que llevó al Buena Vista Social Club a la fama mundial a finales de la década de 1990, pero la conexión de Kiki Valera con esta tradición musical se remonta décadas atrás, gracias a su familia de músicos.

Circle 9 is excited to welcome The Sunday Review aboard our artist roster.

Headed up by singer/songwriter Michael Cerda and Chris Phillips, co-writer and lead guitarist, The Sunday Review brings a fun, 80s-style “Yacht Rock” project to the fold of eclectic jazz and Latin Jazz projects on Circle 9.

Circle 9 is thrilled to welcome master jazz vibraphonist Joe Locke to its artist roster.

Joe's new project is set to release early 2023, and is produced by Locke and co-produced by Grammy® winner Doug Beavers.

Steven Brezet is a Dutch-born multi-percussionist and composer.

At a very young age, Steven took djembe lessons with Senegalese percussionist Aly Ndiaye Rose and soon began expanding to other percussive instruments, including sabar, congas, bongos, timbales, and others. His travels to Senegal, Guinea, Curacao, Morocco, Cuba, and Brazil broadened Steven’s musical passion for African, Brazilian, and Afro-Latin Music.

Circle 9 excitedly welcomes New York veteran flutist Karen Joseph aboard their roster in anticipation of her new solo project, Mambocha, which will feature an ensemble of both young cutting edge and established legends of the New York Latin music recording scene.  The project is to be produced by 2018 Grammy® Winning producer and Circle 9 Director, Doug Beavers.

2019 Grammy® Winning Producer, Composer, Trombonist, and Arranger Doug Beavers will release a brand new, full-length suite of original compositions of sun drenched, afro-cuban and R&B inspired music entitled simply, Sol.

Carlos Cascante is a native of Costa Rica. He moved to the US in 1995 and started his professional musical career in 2005 when he and Musical Director, Julio Jauregui, formed a six piece group under the name of Carlos Cascante Y Su Tumbao.

Cascante is a front-line member of 3X Grammy® award winners Spanish Harlem Orchestra. He is regarded as one of the new and upcoming talents in latin music.

The essence of Yellow House Orchestra is one of hosting, sharing, enjoying, belonging, and showing up for what the world of music has to offer. All that translates into the band's songs, brought together by the musicians and their fiery performances.

Johnny “Dandy” Rodriguez is a salsa legend and world-renown bongocero. Having performed and served as musical director for Tito Puente’s orchestra for 33 years, “Dandy”, as he’s universally known, is a veteran of Tito Rodriguez, Machito, Willie Rosario, Celia Cruz, Fania All-Stars, Ray Barretto and virtually the entire pantheon of salsa’s pioneers.

His New York City-based “Dream Team” is a tight-knit unit that performs the band’s entire repertoire entirely by ear. Performing without the boundaries of written music, every rendition of the band’s repertoire of salsa classics and descargas reach dizzying new heights of danceable excitement.

Puerto Rican saxophone virtuoso Ivan Renta will record a long-awaited new solo project for Circle 9 Records this year.

Ivan has an extensive list of credentials having performed in the NYC area for more than 20 years.  He has performed on more than 200 recordings with artists such as Tito Puente, Wynton Marsalis, Eddie Palmieri, Willie Colon, Ron Carter, Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, Jimmy Heath, Ray Barretto and the the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra to name a few.