Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify.
Puerto Rican trumpeter Charlie Sepulveda has been a fixture of the Latin jazz world since the late 1980s when he played in the band of pianist and composer Eddie Palmieri. During the 1990s, a renaissance period for el jazz Latino, the brassman toured and recorded with an array of great artists including Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, Hilton Ruiz, Dave Valentin, Danilo Perez and Steve Turre. He launched his own group, The Turnaround, 25 years ago and has been turning the tables on the traditional Latin jazz format ever since. The inspiration for his new project with The Turnaround, “Songs for Nat,” is his new wife Natalia. He wrote all the songs right after a series of tropical storms ravaged the island of Puerto Rico late last year.
Known for his fiery, emotive drumming from the last decade of touring and recording with Sonny Rollins, Bobby Broom and Kurt Elling, Kobie Watkins was at the same time visualizing musical concepts for his own compositions and group. First explored on his 2009 solo debut, Watkins’ new formation was created from the inside out, born and cultivated from his travels and experiences and realized through his several years performing with pianist Justin Nielson and his creatively connected bandmates. Though born and raised in Chicago and now based in North Carolina, the Grouptet was formed by happenstance in Idaho where they were each brought in to teach. The remoteness allowed them to freely explore their own collective voice resulting in a collection of nine inspired originals, along with a slinky new arrangement of “Manteca.”
Also in the mix this week is the debut album from one of San Francisco’s most respected and busiest percussionists Javier Cabanillas and his band Cabanijazz Project “Infrasonic”.
; “Kinship” is the debut solo release from Toronto-based trumpeter John Pittman, who has been a member of both the Heavyweights Brass Band and the Composer’s Collective Big Band
The Dennis Dreith Band is comprised of some of Los Angeles’ top jazz and session musicians for their “Reunion” CD.