Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
With nine Grammy nominations and widespread critical acclaim for both her recordings and live performances, Tierney Sutton has earned a place among the most revered voices in contemporary jazz. She now adds a new chapter to her distinguished recording career with “Spring,” her 17th album as a leader or co-leader and her first voice-and-piano duo project. While the Tierney Sutton Band has been a mainstay on the international jazz scene for nearly thirty years, Sutton has long been drawn to the intimacy of smaller settings. With “Spring,” she sought to capture the freedom, immediacy, and spontaneity of her duo performances with pianist Tamir Hendelman, whose work with Natalie Cole, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and his own trio, reflects his wide-ranging artistry.
Motivated by a desire to showcase both Bernie Senensky’s exceptional musicianship and his gifts as a composer, Cellar Music set out to create a project that truly captures the depths of the legendary Canadian composer and pianist’s artistry. The central concept behind “Duos” was to pair Bernie with a selection of outstanding saxophonists from across North America, creating an intimate setting that encouraged spontaneous interaction and highlighted the unique chemistry with Bernie and each collaborator. The resulting musical lineup includes, among others, Eric Alexander, Cory Weeds, Vincent Herring and Pat Labarbara.
Also this week, NEA Jazz Master Donald Harrison’s new recording, “The Magic Touch,” has the saxophonist performing one song recorded, produced, composed, arranged and orchestrated in ten different styles of music, including post-bop, salsa, bossa nova, New Orleans second-line, roots reggae, soul, blues and Afro-beat; the Paul Keller Orchestra out of Ann Arbor, Michigan, celebrating 40 years of working together, takes on the music of composer Gregg Hill with “Thank You Notes”; and South Florida-based guitarist Tom Lippincott features his original compositions performed with his working quartet on this fourth disc as a leader, “Ode to the Possible.”