Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
Four-time Grammy-winning, NEA Jazz Master Terri Lyne Carrington and Grammy-nominated vocalist Christie Dashiell present “We Insist 2025!,” a bold reimagining of the seminal 1961 album “We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite.” Originally created by Roach in collaboration with Abbey Lincoln and lyricist Oscar Brown, Jr., the disc commemorated the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation and served as a rallying cry during the civil rights movement. Carrington and Dashiell’s reimagined version honors this legacy while expanding its sonic palette, blending jazz with influences from gospel, neo-soul, funk, Afro-Latin, West African and blues traditions.
Saxophonist Joshua Redman unveils his second Blue Note Records release, “Words Fall Short,” a collection of original compositions that serves as an introduction to his new quartet featuring pianist Paul Cornish, bassist Philip Norris, and drummer Nazir Ebo, which was formed as a working band for the world tour behind Redman’s 2023 label debut. As the quartet performed steadily on the road, he felt a vibe developing, and was inspired to bring them into the studio to record a set of music he had composed during the pandemic that embraced the shifting moods of wistfulness, sadness, and resolve.
Also this week, pianist, composer, and Brazilian jazz master Antonio Adolfo, puts his spin on the music of “Carnaval,” the lively, upbeat music combining elements of traditional Brazilian music with African rhythms and European music that’s been featured at the annual festival since he was very young; Israeli pianist Anat Fort honors the sound and approach of drummer and composer Paul Motian with her new recording, “The Dreamworld of Paul Motian”; and Eastern Iowa pianist and composer Mike Conrad offers up his new trio recording, “Pretzel Letters,” featuring bassist Katie Ernst and drummer Cassius Goens III.