Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
Already a bona fide star in her native Denmark, singer Sinne Eeg has, in recent years, been weaving her spell in performances throughout Europe and the United States. Audiences and critics alike have responded enthusiastically to her dark, alluring voice, rich timbre, impeccable intonation, inherent sense of swing and remarkably natural scatting ability that recalls her own vocal jazz heroes, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Anita O’Day. On “We’ve Only Just Begun,” her winning collaboration with the 19-piece Danish Radio Big Band and 9th album overall, Eeg sings with signature soulfulness, sassy spirit and jazz abandon on a program of three well-chosen standards, a swinging adaptation of a tune from a vintage Danish film, and five affecting originals with Eeg as composer and/or lyricist.
On his latest album, Warren Wolf reveals an entirely different side to his multi-faceted talents. As the title implies, “Reincarnation” represents a rebirth of sorts for the Baltimore vibesman. In part it frees Wolf to indulge his love for R&B and soul hits that served as the soundtrack to his formative years in the 1990s. It’s also a celebration of a new lease on life, a happiness and contentment that he’s discovered through a new marriage and his five beloved children.
Also this week, the second release from drummer and composer Jae Sinnett’s Zero to 60 Quartet, “Just When You Thought,” featuring pianist Allen Farnham, saxophonist Ralph Bowen and bassist Terry Burrell;
pianist Michael Wolff’s “Bounce,” with bassist Ben Allison and drummer Allan Mednard, reflects his upbeat state of mind following his ‘miraculous’ recovery from aggressive cancer;
and veteran reedmen Jeff Rupert and George Garzone’s “The Ripple” feature pieces recorded or composed by some of the musicians influenced by Lester Young, including Dexter Gordon, Zoot Sims, Wayne Shorter and Joe Henderson.