Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
Internationally renowned pianist and composer Michael Wolff is well known for playing with a who’s who of jazz legends, from Cal Tjader, Cannonball Adderly and Sonny Rollins to Nancy Wilson, Christian McBride and so many more. In pop culture, he’s best known for his five-year run as the musical director and bandleader for Arsenio Hall on his award-winning late-night TV talk show. After a miraculous triumph over a four-year battle with a rare form of cancer, Wolff continues to celebrate his incredible recovery and life on “Memoir,” his first studio album in four years.
New York-based Canadian Bria Skonberg is a Juno Award-winning triple threat trumpeter, singer and songwriter. Called “the shining hope of hot jazz” by the New York Times, Bria has performed at hundreds of festivals and stages the world over, including the New Orleans, Monterey, Newport and Montreal jazz festivals “What is Means” is a return to what first inspired her: the sounds of New Orleans jazz. Recorded during Mardi Gras 2023, Bria is joined by an ensemble of established veterans and up and coming talent, including master Crescent City drummer Herlin Riley.
Also this week, American drumming legend Alvin Queen follows up on the success of his previous celebrated releases with “Feeling Good,” an expertly curated program representing American music and culture in its many forms; guitarist Steve Luciano presents a collection of cover songs spanning over fifty years that hold a special place in his heart on “Under the Covers”; and pianist and composer Addison Frei is accompanied by bassist Tamir Shmerling and drummer Diego Joaquin Ramirez on his sixth release as a leader, “Coin Flip.”