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Blue Canoe Records proudly announces the highly anticipated return of the Dave Pope Trio with their new album “Skyline,” available July 18, 2025. This release reunites drummer Dave Pope, pianist and bassist Mike Pope, and world-renowned bassist John Patitucci in a soulful, spontaneous, and deeply expressive collection of originals and jazz standards.
After a 14-year hiatus following their acclaimed debut You and The Night and The Music (2012), the trio reconnected in August 2024 at Vatican City Sound in Marriottsville, MD. Despite having no live performances together in the interim—and with minimal rehearsal—what emerged was a session overflowing with chemistry, creativity, and courage. “Skyline” features two original compositions—Dave Pope’s title track “Skyline” and “Country Nocturne” by Mike Pope—alongside a curated selection of jazz classics including:
Of special note is the unique interpretation of “Falling Grace,” which features both Mike and John on 6-string electric bass, transforming the trio into a piano/guitar-style ensemble for this track. The recording nearly faced a setback when Mike Pope suffered a detached retina just one week prior to the session—his second eye surgery in recent months. Despite limited vision, he pressed forward with determination and humor, even jokingly suggesting the album be titled Flying Blind. Thankfully, Mike has since fully recovered, and his performances on this recording are nothing short of remarkable. Reflecting on the experience, Dave Pope shares: “We covered a lot of musical ground in just two days. Although we hadn’t played live as a group, the session flowed naturally. I’m proud of what we captured and grateful to have had this opportunity with Mike and John.” About Dave Pope: An Atlanta-based multi-instrumentalist (drums, guitar, bass), Dave Pope has spent decades cultivating a diverse musical career spanning the Midwest, East Tennessee, and the Southeast. From garage bands at 14 to sessions with jazz luminaries like Randy Brecker, Joe Gransden, and Louis Heriveaux, Dave brings a deep well of experience and artistic sensitivity to every project. About Mike Pope: An acclaimed bassist, pianist, composer, and educator, Mike Pope is a faculty member at Berklee College of Music. He’s known for his extensive solo work and collaborations with artists like Chick Corea, Al Di Meola, and David Sanborn. About John Patitucci: A multiple Grammy Award-winning bassist, John Patitucci has played with legends including Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Esperanza Spalding. His unmistakable sound and virtuosity are on full display throughout Skyline. “Skyline” by the Dave Pope Trio is a testament to resilience, chemistry, and timeless artistry. Available on all major digital platforms July 18, 2025, via Blue Canoe Records. Blue Canoe Records proudly presents The Trouble With Dogma, the highly anticipated sophomore release from multi-instrumentalist and composer Neal Bowen. Officially dropping July 11th, 2025, the album is a dynamic journey through instrumental jazz and progressive rock, showcasing Bowen’s visionary approach to genre-blending and sonic storytelling.
Following the success of his debut, Neal Bowen returns with a bold, exploratory statement that expands his musical palette. On The Trouble With Dogma, Bowen commands bass, keys, guitar, and oversees the mixing and mastering process, underlining his deep creative control and artistic range. The project also features a powerful lineup of collaborators:
Released via Blue Canoe Records, the album continues the label’s mission to spotlight original, forward-thinking artists in the world of jazz, fusion, and beyond. The Trouble With Dogma will be available on all major streaming platforms on July 11th, 2025. Pianist, Composer, Arranger, Producer, and Educator Randy Hoexter releases a dynamic eleven song album titled "Tomorrowsville" Featuring: Mike Stern, Jimmy Haslip, Emrah Kotan, Sam Skelton, John David, Gordon Vernick, Justin Powell, Eric Alexander, and Roberta Setzu. Now available wherever you get your music!
A highly talented composer, guitarist, author and educator specializing in Latin and contemporary jazz, Neff Irizarry follows in the footsteps of Jim Hall, Pat Metheny and Steve Khan. His unique blend of progressive Latin Jazz displays Puerto Rican “Sabor” and a Nordic cool called “Sisu.”
Featured in The European Real Book (Sher Music Co., 2007), Neff has joined the ranks of the most esteemed European composers of jazz. And, with his works, Contemporary Latin Jazz Guitar Vol. 1 and Vol. 2: Solos (Sher Music Co., 2021 & 2024), Neff has provided the most comprehensive books on Latin Jazz Guitar ever written. His latest release titled, "Cambio (Change)" features Jimmy Haslip, Martin Fabricius, and Ricardo Padilla. Bassist, Composer, and Producer Joseph Patrick Moore interprets Sting's composition titled, "Captain Bateman's Basement". This cover song features J.P.M. on fretless bass, programming, production, mixing, and mastering. Learn More - Click Here
Keyboard Wizard, Producer, Composer, and former Curtis Mayfield alumnus Buzz Amato releases a carefully crafted eleven song album titled Muse Café. This eleven song collection features music inspired by each of the Greek Muses and showcases his writing, arranging, production as well as his keyboard skills.
For the past several years, former Yellowjackets bassist and prolific producer Jimmy Haslip has enjoyed an ongoing working relationship with the Bremen, Germany-based jazz fusion keyboardist and composer Michael Schmidt (aka MSM Schmidt). While Haslip played on Schmidt’s 2007 album Transit and 2009’s Destination, he ended up co-producing 2012’s Evolution, 2015’s Utopia and 2017’s Life. They take their chemistry to new heights on ARCeology: The Music of MSM Schmidt. This dynamic offering finds Haslip and members of his ARC Trio (keyboardist Scott Kinsey and Hungarian drummer Gergö Borlai) joining forces with the GRAMMY® Award-winning John Daversa Big Band on greatly expanded versions of previously recorded Schmidt material, along with two brand new pieces composed by Kinsey and Schmidt. The result is a powerhouse collection of polished, swaggering big band fusion along the lines of the Jaco Pastorius Big Band or The Brecker Brothers’ 2003 collaboration with the WDR Big Band Köln on Some Skunk Funk. “I wanted to see if I could make this a big band record but somehow make it different,” said Haslip. “I didn’t think it should sound like a vintage big band recording. I wanted it to sound modern and have more of an edge, which is what led me to include guest soloists like Nguyên Lê, Mike Miller, Steve Khan, Oz Noy and others. They bring progressive elements into the big band setting and add compelling ideas to each song.” Out of the eight songs that appear on ARCeology, six were previously recorded on other Michael Schmidt records. The two brand new compositions here are Schmidt’s “Mirrors” and Kinsey’s “Quartet.” And as Haslip noted, “In approaching this project, there was the thought that if you’re going to redo songs that have already been recorded, what can be done to make them sound like new compositions? And I think with Scott’s rhythm arrangements and John’s input on the horn parts, we came up with some creative solutions.” Haslip also credited Kinsey, who became de facto co-producer of ARCeology. “Originally, I was the point producer on this whole thing, but as time went on I just knew that Scott needed to be a part of the production team,” he recalled. “We weren’t far into the project when I approached Scott and said, ‘I want you to be my co-producer on this because you’re contributing so much great work and it’s only fair that we do this together.’ He was up for that, so I am happy to say that Scott and I co-produced the record. I can’t take full credit for what’s happened here, as Scott was the real workhorse. He played most of the keyboard and synth parts and did all the keyboard solos, of course. Also, Scott’s rhythm arrangements had a big hand in influencing John’s horn arrangements. There was a lot of cool stuff already in place for John to just embellish. But then again, John has his own unique voice for orchestration. Everything he wrote after the fact was fantastic."
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