Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
NYO Jazz’s first full-length studio album, “We’re Still Here,” features artistic director, bandleader, and trumpeter Sean Jones and special guest Melissa Aldana on tenor sax, plus an appearance by trombonist Wycliffe Gordon. One of Carnegie Hall’s three acclaimed national youth ensembles, NYO Jazz—comprising outstanding young musicians ages 16-19 from across the United States—showcases the legacy and bright future of American jazz.
Flugelhornist Dmitri Matheny celebrates the beauty, terrain, and expansiveness of his adopted home in the Pacific Northwest on his new disc, “Cascadia.” With ongoing decades of touring, Matheny recorded his 12th album with a trio of longtime Seattle collaborators—pianist Bill Anschell, bassist Phil Sparks, drummer Mark Ivester—with saxophonist Charles McNeal joining them from Las Vegas. Performing several inspired classics adds depth and clarity to Matheny’s six original compositions.
Also this week, singer-songwriter Ori Dagan takes on the digital zeitgeist on his fourth studio album, “Click Right Here”;
drummer and composer Snorre Kirk and his quartet with saxophonist Stephen Riley update the spirit and style of yesteryear with their sixth CD, “Going Up”;
and on his seventh record as a leader, “Drummer. Composer,” Charles Ruggiero finally gives us a full set of original music, using a classic jazz quartet.