Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify.
Guitarist John Scofield has been on serious roll since 2015, when his release, “Past Present,” earned a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Jazz Album. He followed that release with the 2016 album, “Country for Old Men,” which earned him two more Grammys. Last year, he joined forces with old pals Jack DeJohnette, Larry Grenadier and John Medeski for the rural New York jazz band of the ages, Hudson, the quartet romping the world from Boise to Berlin and back again. Now, Scofield keeps his talent and his trusty Ibanez AS200 guitar burning brightly on “Combo 66,” which finds the New York native with a new quartet and fresh compositions in celebration of his 66th birthday.
Madeleine Peyroux’s extraordinary journey is one of the music industry’s most compelling. Eight albums and 22 years since her debut, the singer-songwriter continues to challenge the confines of jazz, venturing into fertile fields of contemporary music with unfading curiosity. Peyroux’s new album, “Anthem,” came to life during the pivotal 2016 U.S. elections, with her and her co-writers Patrick Warren, Brian MacLeod and David Baerwald absorbing a “constant stream of news” over many months. The “consciously not to preachy” songs fuse Madeleine’s at times political outlook with glimpses into her personal world, striking that perfect equilibrium of dark humor and compassion.
Also this week, the young pianist Justin Kauflin ventures into new sonic territory, bringing in more modern influences of synths, electric guitar and bass on his third release, “Coming Home”;
Miami-based guitarist Lindsey Blair and his quartet pay tribute to the legendary Wes Montgomery with “All Wes All Day”;
…and conguero and composer Alberto Nacif leads his sizzling Detroit based Latin jazz septet Aguanko on their fourth release, “Pattern Recognition.”