Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
“Sing a Song of Bird” is a collaboration of four New York jazz vocalists who are passionate about Charlie Parker’s music and have rendered new lyrics to six of his compositions. Roseanna Vitro conceived and guided this project but chose not to sing on every tune. Instead, she hands the microphone to her mentors, bebop jazz legends Bob Dorough, Sheila Jordan and Marion Cowings, each of whom take solo turns with their own unique and soulful interpretations on several compositions by Bird.
On “More Music,” five-time Grammy nominee and master organist Joey DeFrancesco, who has long supplemented his keyboard virtuosity with his skilled trumpet playing, here brings out his full arsenal: organ, keyboard, piano, trumpet and, for the first time on record, tenor saxophone. The disc offers up ten new DeFrancesco originals, brought to life by a scintillating new trio with fellow Philadelphia organist and guitarist Lucas Brown and gifted drummer Michael Ode.
Also this week, pianist and composer Marc Cary debuts a new trio on “Life Lessons,” with bassist Dan Chmielinski and drummer Diego Joaquin Ramirez;
Nashville-based pianist and composer Pat Coil’s precision and musicality shine on “How Deep is the Ocean,” a stellar collection of jazz standards and originals;
and Stacey Kent’s “Songs from Other Places” is a captivating and eclectic collection of voice and piano duets with her friend Art Hirahara, including songs by Paul Simon, the Beatles, Stevie Nicks and others.