Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
Saxophonist/composer Bobby Watson draws inspiration from the rich jazz heritage of his Kansas City hometown on his spirited new album, “Back Home in Kansas City.” Watson grew up in K.C., leaving to study at the University of Miami and then spending a quarter century making his name in New York City. He returned home in 2000 to serve as Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Conservatory of Music and Dance, retiring 20 years later. The disc features an all-star quintet with trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist Curtis Lundy and drummer Victor Jones.
A pivotal member of New York’s jazz scene for 40 years, pianist Bruce Barth’s inspired vision and generous accompaniment has always led to rich musical collaborations, none more so than with his working trio of many years with bassist Vincente Archer and drummer Montez Coleman. Their collective voice found its perfect setting, which makes the release of “Dedication” a profound and emotion-filled moment, as Montez passed away five months after the recording session at the age of 48. Celebrating the joy and camaraderie Montez brought to their work, the thread of relationships, inspiration, guidance and gratefulness that imbued the recording revealed itself, leading Bart to present the music as a display of the mindfulness of those gifts.
Also this week, one of today’s major voices on tenor saxophone, Gregory Tardy, demonstrates his exceptional composing skills on his newest recording, “Sufficient Grace”;
saxophonist JD Allen continues his investigation of the crucial role the blues has played in the history of jazz and how it continues to evolve and influence the art form today on “Americana, Vol. 2”;
and Canadian-born guitarist Mike Clement, who now calls New Orleans home, unveils his debut release, “Unfinished Business.”