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The eerie stillness of New York City during the Covid-19 pandemic led many residents to a state of contemplation and inner exploration. Saxophonist and composer Marc Mommaas found himself drawn to sounds that he grew up with but had eschewed for his own musical path in jazz, namely classical music. He dove into the music of the Impressionists but found himself particularly drawn to one of the instigators of the movement, Gabriel Faure. It was with Faure’s esthetic in mind that Mommas began to write music for his new recording, “The Impressionist.” He also had a drummer-less ensemble in mind to perform the music, namely pianist Gary Versace, guitarist Nate Radley and bassist Jay Anderson, making the writing process even more streamlined.
Richard Gillis and Sasha Boychouk founded the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra in 1997, inspired by a vision of forming a professional big band made up of the best emerging and veteran musicians in Winnipeg. They’ve performed over 150 concerts with jazz greats from Canada, the U.S. and Europe, including Bob Brookmeyer, Dick Oatts, Bobby Shew, Curtis Fuller, Rufus Reid and many others. “Voices: A Musical Heritage” is the Orchestra’s sixth release since their inception. The album is a collection of commissions from eight jazz composers meant to reflect some of Manitoba’s musical heritage: First Nations, Metis, Ukrainian, Jewish, Chilean, Brazilian, Nigerian and Icelandic.
Also this week, veteran drummers Bill Goodwin and Billy Hart have put together a new quartet with saxophonist George Garzone and bassist Ben Street for their new release, “Sound on Sound”;
Out to Dinner, featuring vibraphonist Behn Gillece, trombonist Ryan Keberle, saxophonist Patrick Cornelius, bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Rudy Royston, offers up their fourth release, “Food is Medicine”;
and D.C.-based pianist Marcus Johnson’s “Quarantine Sessions” is an upbeat jazz trio album with bassist Antone Caldwell and drummer Chris Bynum.