Distant Dreams

Another new release from an international star on this week's show comes from a vibraphone player from Eastern Europe, "I'm from Bulgaria, I guess a lot of the influence...you can hear a lot of influence in these tunes." That's Errol Rackipov talking about the music he wrote and plays with his band, which pushes his early musical influences into modern jazz territory.

His new album Distant Dreams, again from Seattle's Origin Records, features adventurous melodies that hint at traditional Bulgarian folk songs, and intense performances from Lubomir Gospodinov and David Leon on saxophones and powerful support in the rhythm section of Martin Bejarano on piano, Peter Slavov's bass and Ludwig Alfonso at the drums. Most intriguing are Errol's work on marimba in addition to the vibraphone, as heard on this week's New Cool feature, "Odd Times".

A professor of jazz at Florida International University, Rackipov's mentor from Berklee College of Music, vibraphone legend Gary Burton, calls the new album "a real triumph". Just his second release as a leader, The New Cool hopes his continued success will bring him to the Seattle area sooner than later.