Mike Murley - Taking Flight (2019)

Cornerstone Records proudly presents Taking Flight, a new recording from saxophonist Mike Murley with special guest pianist Renee Rosnes. Also featured are regular Murley collaborators, bassists Steve Wallace and Jim Vivian and guitarist Reg Schwager. Canadian-born, New York-based Rosnes brings a new voice to the mainstream chamber jazz trio sounds Murley has produced on Cornerstone since his recordings with the legendary Ed Bickert two decades ago.

Taking Flight features a broad program of material from some of the greatest composers in the history of the music, including Kenny Wheeler, Wayne Shorter, Michel Legrand, Charlie Parker, and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Murley adds two new melodies of his own to the set, including the title track (based on “Just in Time”) and a dedication to Lee Konitz (based on “Love Letters”). Murley, Wallace, and Schwager close the session with a heartfelt version of the Nicholas Brodsky standard “I’ll Never Stop Loving You”, a tribute to their mentor Bickert who sadly passed away just weeks before this recording was made.