Motema Music. Artists of power and distinction since 2003.

New Single: I KNOW LOVE Out Now!

May 8, 2026

“I Know Love” is the first standalone single from vibraphonist Stefon Harris ahead of his forthcoming album, Legacy Dances, due August 2026. Commissioned to celebrate the life and impact of Ilene Katz Lowenthal — whose initials, I.K.L., inspired the title — the piece is a tender musical tribute to a life marked by love, compassion, and beauty.
STREAM IT HERE: https://stefonharris.lnk.to/IKL

“I hope that with every listen, this song will bring peace and joyful remembrance to the Lowenthal family and to all who hear it. Illene left a legacy of love and compassion which I shall forever cherish, and so did Casey, who so brilliantly captured her essence in his truly generous and loving performance on this recording.” — Stefon Harris

Featuring a deeply expressive vocal performance by Casey Benjamin, “I Know Love” stands as a moving testament to music’s power to honor, remember, and carry the human spirit forward. The single also offers the first glimpse into Legacy Dances, an album rooted in the idea of carrying music into the future while honoring the giants whose shoulders we stand on — allowing tradition to grow, transform, and become new in an ever-changing world.

Motéma Music Signs Jazz Vibraphone Master Stefon Harris for Landmark 20th Anniversary Album

April 27, 2026

Legacy Dances honors the late Casey Benjamin and drops August 28th

Motéma Music is pleased to announce that four-time GRAMMY®-nominated vibraphone master, composer, music software developer, educator, and arts presenter Stefon Harris has signed with Motéma Music to release his twelfth album, Legacy Dances on August 28, 2026. This marks Stefon Harris & Blackout’s fifth album since 2004, and their third release on the Motéma label.

Drawing inspiration from the many legacies that have fueled Blackout’s expression through the years, the vibrant Legacy Dances features a dynamic mix of instrumental and vocal modern jazz rooted in African, R&B, and jazz traditions. “We have been blessed with the opportunity and privilege to dance with our cultural legacy in a way that challenges us to be of service to our community and unapologetically authentic in our own self-expression,” relates Harris. Recorded to celebrate the band’s 20th anniversary, Legacy Dances, features (and extends the legacy of) Blackout founding member and electronic soul/jazz pioneer Casey Benjamin, a deeply influential figure in New York’s music community. Sadly, Benjamin suddenly joined the ancestors at age 45, barely two months after the sessions wrapped, so Harris postponed the release, and now looks forward to finally sharing this landmark project with the world.

The lead single, a vocal version of the exquisite Harris ballad “I Know Love,” which features soaring vocoder expressions by Benjamin, will drop May 8th, accompanied by a curated Mother’s Day playlist by Harris, available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and other platforms. The second single, a thrilling new take on the Louis Armstrong classic “What a Wonderful World,” also features Benjamin, and drops June 5th to honor African American Music Appreciation Month. Here are artist’s quotes about the first two singles.

MAY 8: “I Know Love” (Single for Mother’s Day) feat. vocals/vocoder by Casey Benjamin, (composed by Stefon Harris)
“I’m pleased to release this in time for Mother’s Day, as I wrote it to celebrate the life and cultural impact of the truly beautiful human being and wonderful mother, Illene Katz Lowenthal (I.K.L. – I Know Love). Illene knew how to love better than just about anyone I’ve ever met. Thinking of her life, this song flowed immediately from my heart and is a great testament to music’s special power to immortalize the essential essence of a person’s indomitable human spirit. Casey Benjamin’s performance here is priceless; he captured every nuance. I hope that with each listen, this song will bring peace and joyful remembrance to the Lowenthal family and to all who hear it. Illene left a legacy of love and compassion which I shall forever cherish.” – Stefon Harris

JUNE 5: “What a Wonderful World” ( Single for African American Music Appreciation Month) feat. vocals/vocoder by Casey Benjamin, (composed by George David Weiss & Bob Thiele)
“What a Wonderful World” celebrates our band’s spiritual connection to the great Louis Armstrong. His uncanny ability to create joy in our world through song, soul, and a beautiful smile, shines as a bright beacon of inspiration. It challenges us to embrace and proliferate moments of joy in our own modern world. We aspire to serve as vehicles of art in order to allow that beautiful message to continue occupying space during these challenging times in our social evolution. – Stefon Harris

LIVE DATES & WORKSHOPS: Harris, who formally launched his revolutionary ear-training software, HARMONY CLOUD™, at the Jazz Educators Network (JEN) Conference in January, has done residencies at Harvard, Peabody Conservatory, Temple University, University of Miami, University of Oregon, University of Southern California, Rutgers University and more, teaching workshops and performing. Up next, he’ll be at Iowa University (May 7 & 8) and at Stanford University with Blackout on July 23. A Fall ‘26 and Spring ‘27 album release tour and additional Harmony Cloud workshops will be announced soon.

2 more singles from The Django Festival Allstars! Full album coming next month!

January 9, 2026

With their third double single from Evolution, Django Festival Allstars offer a deeply heartfelt celebration of legacy, lineage, and joy—honoring two towering musical figures whose influence continues to resonate across generations: the beloved gypsy jazz guitarist Dorado Schmitt and the legendary jazz harmonica master Toots Thielemans.

Stream the Singles: ‘Dorado’s Smile’ + ‘Around Toots”

Preorder the Album: Evolution

Available now on Motéma Music, this double single release from Django Festival Allstars is both a loving salute to jazz history and a reminder that legacy, when carried with heart, continues to smile back at us.

Around Toots, is a perfect modern café-jazz standard and a transcendent tribute to Thielemans’ unmistakable sound and spirit. Composed by the almost impossibly virtuosic accordionist Ludovic Beier, the piece showcases Beier on accordina—a rare mouth-blown accordion—whose breathy, lyrical tone beautifully evokes Toots’ signature “teardrop” harmonica sound. The melody floats effortlessly, engaging in a graceful dance with Pierre Blanchard’s violin and Samson Schmitt’s fluid gypsy guitar lines. Beneath it all, the band settles into an ultra-relaxed, sunlit swing—unhurried, elegant, and full of warmth—capturing the essence of Thielemans’ lifelong gift for turning virtuosity into pure feeling.

The companion track, Dorado’s Smile, shifts the focus to joy, kinship, and continuity. Sun-dappled and irresistibly inviting, the tune opens with an easy melodic exchange between accordion and violin, while the guitar’s gentle comping sparkles underneath. Everything about the piece encourages movement and connection—shouldering joy, friendship, and a lighthearted warmth that feels instantly familiar. As Beier explains, “‘Dorado’s Smile’ clearly shows who I had in mind when writing this song… Samson’s father, whom I had invited on one of my albums. It’s a piece I wanted to be very joyful.” That intention shines through in every phrase, honoring Dorado Schmitt not only as a master musician, but as a source of inspiration whose spirit lives on through the next generation.

Together, these two tracks form a beautifully balanced double tribute—reflective yet playful, reverent yet alive with forward motion. They underscore what Evolution represents at its core: a living tradition, where respect for the past fuels new creativity, and where gratitude is expressed not through imitation, but through joyful, breathing music made in the present.

The Django Festival Allstars release 2 New Singles! Full album coming Feb 13!

December 5, 2025

Two new singles from Django Festival Allstars’ upcoming album EVOLUTION have arrived! Stream the singles starting today and pre-order the full album (out Feb 13, 2026) to continue the celebration!

🎧 Listen & pre-save now → Evolution

“Sunshine in my Heart” was composed during Samson Schmitt’s U.S. tour, this glowing mid-tempo swing radiates optimism — a singable refrain, easy lift, and the feeling of new audiences won over town by town. It’s the kind of tune that simply makes you feel good.

Ludovic Beier’s “Swing & Ready” jumps out of the gate with an infectious up-tempo swing that drives so hard with accordion, violin, and guitar in unison over a buoyant bass and crisp rhythm guitar, that one might think a drum kit was in the ensemble. Schmitt’s guitar solo would make Django himself applaud, Beier’s solo on accordion defies gravity, and then Blanchard’s violin takes flight. It’s all part of the Allstars’ vivid, modern take on Gypsy swing that balances tradition with 21st-century bebop, straight-ahead, and fusion.

Stream all four tracks today!

2 New Singles from The Django Festival Allstars Out Now!

November 7, 2025

The first two singles from Django Festival Allstars’ upcoming album EVOLUTION have arrived!
“Rire avec Charlie” and “El Destino” — are two original joyful, virtuosic Gypsy Jazz infused compositions with modern energy.

Stream the singles starting today and pre-order the full album (out Feb 13, 2026) to join the celebration of Django’s enduring spirit.
🎧 Listen & pre-save now → Evolution

UNDER THE SAME STARS – Out Now!

September 12, 2025

Following the success of her award-winning 2023 debut Rising Sun, pianist Shuteen Erdenebaatar returns with Under the Same Stars — an exquisite duo album with acclaimed ACT Music artist Nils Kugelmann on contra-alto clarinet and upright bass.

Meditative, romantic, and daring, the duo paints poetic miniatures with strokes of jazz, classical, and cinematic music. Their rare instrumentation is enriched by guest features from Jakob Manz (alto recorder) and Dalaijargal Daansuren (morin khuur, Mongolia’s iconic horsehead fiddle), adding soulful mystery and cultural depth.

The album is the second in Erdenebaatar’s trilogy of projects (Rising Sun – 2023, Under the Same Stars – 2025, Beyond the Moon – coming 2026). More than a collection of pieces, it’s a love story between two artists whose chemistry is as natural as it is profound.

“Every track is quietly astonishing… writing a review for Under the Same Stars is no easy task — there are only so many words for ‘beautiful.’” – Paris Move
“A match made in heaven… unusually profound.” – Jazz thing

📀 Under the Same Stars is available today on CD & Digital.
💿 Vinyl releases October 17, 2025.

👉 Stream & order the album now: UNDER THE SAME STARS