For those not in the know, Savant Records is excited to announce the August 25th, 2023 release of Off The Charts, the thrilling new album from acclaimed drummer and bandleader Richard Baratta.

On his third release for Savant, the “lively [and] adroit” (Euan Dixon, Jazz Views) musician shifts gears from the movie-music repertoire that fueled his previous two efforts, and instead turns his musical prowess to a collection of lesser-known compositions by inspirational jazz greats.

To bring his musical vision to life, Baratta assembled an A-list cast of musicians including saxophone ace Jerry Bergonzi, acclaimed pianist David Kikoski, veteran bassist John Patitucci and dazzling percussionist Paul Rossman.

1. Herzog
2. Molten Glass
3. Blackberry Winter
4. Peresina
5. Afro-Centric
6. Lost
7. Sombrero Sam
8. Tones for Joan’s Bones
9. Out of This World

The album opens on the impassioned, veritably spirited Bobby Hutcherson cut Herzog and then brings us the bossa-tinged, late night club ambiance of the Joe Ferrell track Molten Glass, their simply divine rendition of Alec Wilder and Loonis McGlonohon’s Blackberry Winter and then comes the free-flowing, Latin-hued Peresina.

Along next is the more diligently formed, funk-centric, brilliant Joe Henderson cut Afro-Centric, which is itself backed by a dutifully sculpted rendition of Wayne Shorter’s Lost, the upright bass-led, Charles Lloyd track Sombrero Sam, the recording rounding out the low slung Chick Corea swinger Tones for Joan’s Bones, closing on Harold Arlen and Johnny Burke’s resilient finger-snapping, foot-tapping, Afro-Latin-imbibed telling of Out of This World.

“I really wanted to focus on music that I loved while growing up,” the New York-area drummer explains. “And I was thinking specifically about pieces I liked that weren’t the most popular numbers on some of these records — the tunes that weren’t as well publicized or listened to or re-recorded by other musicians, but were really outstanding in their own way.”

When selecting the music for Off The Charts, Baratta mined the catalog of his youth, focusing on the 1960’s and 1970’s. A period full of intense musical creativity and experimentation, Baratta counts these years as some of the most important in his artistic development. “The music was exploding with emerging geniuses and an energy I’ve seldom seen since,” he recounts.

To honor this prolific time, Baratta handpicked what he calls “hidden treasures”; somewhat overlooked gems by the likes of Bobby Hutcherson, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner, and more.

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