UPDATES
Thank you all for visiting my website. I am happy to provide an update on my recent projects and points of focus. This year has been quite productive for upcoming additions to the discography, featuring two first-time releases and one re-release, each in a different musical genre.
Compassion And Mustard Seeds In Perilous Times –New World Records
In late June, New World Records will release a chamber music recording entitled “Compassion And Mustard Seeds In Perilous Times” on June 27, 2025. The recording consists of two of my string quartets, Compassion And Mustard Seeds In Perilous Times (2022-2023) and The Image Of The Invisible (written in 1995 and revised in 2021), both exquisitely and passionately interpreted by the Lyris Quartet and Jesus’ Prayer At Gethsemane (2024), a setting of John 17 KJV, an extended work for baritone voice and mixed septet with baritone Cedric Berry’s brilliant contributions and masterfully conducted by Anthony Parnther. The mixed septet players focused on rhythmic precision, passion, and a rich timbral vocabulary, adding so much to the music. Jesus’ Prayer At Gethsemane is one of the most important compositions in my oeuvre. I waited for decades and prayed much before finally building the courage to set this cornerstone of prayers in the Bible.
James Newton Quartet Live In Willisau, Switzerland – Minor Music Recording
In the summer of 1983, a reimagined version of the James Newton Quartet emerged onto the European jazz scene. Promoter/Booking Agent Stephan Meyner, also the artistic director of Minor Music Recording Company, organized the Quartet’s tour. After decades of being out of touch, Stephan contacted me, expressing his regret that the Quartet had not released a recording to commemorate its contributions to the art form. However, his research paid off when he unearthed a recording of the Quartet’s performance in Willisau, Switzerland. Willisau is known for its passionate love of Jazz and is also the hosting city of the internationally recognized Willisau Jazz Festival. The James Newton Quartet members for this European tour included Geri Allen on piano, Anthony Cox on bass, and Andrew Cyrille on drums. The Willisau Jazz Festival recording is among the first recordings of Ms. Allen’s long, historic, and distinguished career. Like Geri Allen, Anthony Cox and Andrew Cyrille possess great fluency with tradition and cutting-edge modernity. This trio also recorded one of the greatest recordings of the last fifty years, Printmakers on Minor Music Recording. James Newton Quartet Live In Willisau will be available in the fall 2025.
James Newton -Above Is Above All – Contour Records (1997)
In the summer of 2025, Contour Records will re-release Above Is Above All. This electronic music Recording primarily focuses on an electro-acoustic view of the African Diaspora. The compositions also embrace Asian, South American, and European Music, but their heart is African.
Synthesizers, samplers, and acoustic instruments provided an imaginative template for extensive experimentation, particularly in timbres and rhythm.
Much of the rhythmic explorations on Above Is Above All fueled the rhythmic concepts used in my fully notated music for the next quarter-century. Producers Thomas Stones III and Conley Abrams brought immense expertise and imagination to the project. Also, thanks to grand master instrumentalists Pedro Eustache (flute) and Les Coulter (guitar synthesizer), whose contributions greatly enhanced the musical landscape. Thanks much to Pedro Eustache and Jeannelle Newton, whose rich imagination enhanced the rhythmical organization of the arrangements. Gumbo YaYa (1994) is a collaboration with groundbreaking choreographer Donald McKayle, commissioned by the Kennedy Center for San Francisco Ballet and performed at the San Francisco Opera House.
Over the next few months, the website will feature recently completed scores and additional photos of recent and past journeys, concerts, and events, including participation in workshops, residencies, and national and international lectures.
