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Iconic pianist/composer Fred Hersch was an early adopter of new technologies and new ways forward when the pandemic hit in early 2020. But he’s also been among the most eager to return to live performance and collaboration now that life has begun to resume some semblance of normality. His newest project is one of his most ambitious to date: “Breath by Breath,” his first album ever pairing jazz rhythm section with string quartet. It draws inspiration from the pianist’s longtime practice of mindful meditation, centered on the new eight-movement “Sati Suite.”
In 2019, when saxophonist/composer Remy Le Boeuf released his first large-ensemble album, it was clear his 20-piece orchestra would last beyond just one album. Lauded by the Brooklyn Rail for its ‘cinematic majesty,’ the Assembly of Shadows orchestra now returns on “Architecture of Storms,” adding another riveting chapter to Le Boeuf’s innovative vision as a jazz orchestra composer. The ensemble performs with gripping virtuosity on a richly varied program of original pieces.
Also this week, “The Dark Fire Sessions” is the sophomore release as a bandleader from pianist Alex Brown, an electrifying rising artist in the New York jazz scene, whose vision, musicality, and abilities as both a pianist and composer have aptly lauded him praise from Downbeat and the New York Times;
“Myth & Wisdom” is the first in a series of releases by Blue Moods on Posi-Tone Records to highlight the overlooked compositions of jazz masters, in this instance Charles Mingus;
and Spokane, Washington-based trumpeter and composer Jared Hall is joined by saxophonist Vincent Herring on his second release as a leader, “Seen on the Scene.”