New Stories - Hope Is In The Air: The Music Of Elmo Hope (2005)

New York producer, trumpeter and publisher Don Sickler has long made it his business to document the works of underappreciated jazz composers. With "Hope Is In The Air," the Seattle-based trio "New Stories" add their own spin to many of the melodic and complex compositions of the often-missed bebop hero Elmo Hope, bringing them into the 21st Century. Also featuring altoist Bobby Porcelli, Sickler on trumpet and a special appearance by Bertha Hope, "Hope..." was recorded and mixed by Rudy Van Gelder, the original engineer on many of Hope's original recordings. Pianist Marc Seales, bassist Doug Miller & drummer John Bishop have performed & recorded under the name New Stories since 1987 and their recordings include releases with Don Lanphere, Ernie Watts, Bud Shank, and the Grammy-nominated "Song for the Geese" with Mark Murphy.