Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify.
New York-based Ray Blue has been an important tenor saxophonist on the jazz scene for the past 20 years, leading his own ensembles on a regular basis since 2001. Among those he’s worked with over the years include Eddie Henderson, the Charlie Persip Super Band, Wycliffe Gordon, Steve Turre and the Sun Ra Arkestra. He’s also been an influential educator and is the founder of Cross-Cultural Connection, a non-profit organization that promotes jazz culture, performance and education. With family ties in Eastern Iowa, Ray also makes it to the Corridor several times a year to perform with various groups. His new CD, “Work,” mixes together three of his originals with surprising versions of standards and lesser known but superior jazz songs.
While it’s been ten years since Christian Jacob’s last trio album, the French-born 7-time Grammy nominee has devoted that time to some pretty exciting projects, including scoring two major motion pictures for director Clint Eastwood. He and his trio mates, bassist Trey Henry and drummer Ray Brinker, started out as the rhythm section in Maynard Ferguson’s big band and have been the backing ensemble for singer Tierney Sutton for over twenty years. Now with “The Originals,” Christian returns to the jazz trio setting with a captivating collection of original compositions. Presented in a story-like fashion, each selection draws the listener into the trio’s musical wonderland. A beautifully orchestrated string section adds depth to eight of the pieces.
Also this week, Newhall, Iowa native Chad Eby, now on the jazz faculty at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, teams up with pianist and vocalist Ariel Pocock as “BFFs”;
saxophonist Eric Wyatt injects his passion for bebop and affection for geniuses like Sonny Rollins, Charlie Parker and Pharaoh Sanders on his seventh recording as a bandleader, “The Golden Rule: For Sonny.”
bassist Leon Lee Dorsey, guitarist Greg Skaff and drummer Mike Clark form the trio DSC for “Monk Time”.