Down a Rabbit Hole

The trick about falling down rabbit holes is knowing how to get back out. The insistently inventive composer, arranger, bandleader and educator Ayn Inserto has built a brilliant career around her gift for designing fantastical but slyly logical musical landscapes and crafting sonic adventures marked by sinuously surprising melodies, Technicolor harmonies, and arrestingly vivid voicings. Due for release on Summit Records on September 21, 2018, the Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra's first new album in a decade, Down a Rabbit Hole, reintroduces her sly and imaginative musical world, a realm populated by some of jazz's most expressive improvisers.

In many ways Inserto conceived Rabbit Hole to showcase her three special guests — trumpet star Sean Jones, tenor sax great George Garzone, and trombonist John Fedchock — along with her exceptional cast of players many of whom have been with her since she launched the group in 2001.

Available on iTunes and anywhere music is sold.

Home Away from Home

From the liner notes: "The first time I went to Italy, I fell in love. Upon returning home, I continued to crave the new place that I discovered. I kept going back, and each time was better than the first. But it wasn't till I was invited by Massimo Morganti in 2008 to Senigallia did I understand the true meaning of Italy. That week changed my life. I discovered an ensemble that performed my music beautifully, musicians that were receptive to my teaching concepts, friendships that last a lifetime, a new place of beauty and a deeper exploration of the soul of Italy in its cuisine; I was home.

Within this recording you will find elements of my experience in Senigallia and the Marche region: the joyous "festa" in Subo, the lush performance by the band and ardent trombone solo in La Danza Infinita, the hard groove in Hang Around and the excellent execution of the horns in You're Leaving and Rabbit Hole."

Muse

On this recording, built around the theme of celebrating those who inspired her, Ms. Inserto pays homage to influences ranging from her family, friends and bandmates to former teachers (Brookmeyer, Dave Eshelman and John Maltester) to eminent jazz musicians (Michael Brecker, Frank Foster and Steve Lacy). "Her genius is that while her music is harmonically sophisticated, there is a sweet, flowing energy that makes it accessible and enjoyable for any palette," writes Garzone in the liner notes.

Clairvoyance

Clairvoyance is Ayn's first recording as a leader. This album features her re-arrangements of three Garzone compositions as well as her own originals. The pieces feature the incredible musicality of the ensemble as well as the amazing solos of Garzone and Brookmeyer. There is a wide contrast in moods from piece to piece, and this album promises an interesting ride.