Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
Bassist, composer and arranger John Clayton presents his eighth album as a leader, “The Two-o Duo Project,” featuring vocalist Rene Marie and John’s son Gerald Clayton on piano. Rooted in the intimacy of duo playing, the record spans a wide range of material across cultural eras. They draw on repertoire personally meaningful to Ms. Marie, alongside original compositions from the younger Clayton. The project grew organically in the studio and eventually expanded into trio settings, brilliantly capturing the kind of unspoken connection that only deepens between close collaborators over time.
Afro-Caribbean music and jazz have long been pals, standing alongside each other and generally having a grand time. The Paul Carlon Trio—saxophonist Carlon, bassist Alex Ayala and percussionist Chembo Corniel—celebrate that state-of-affairs on “Between Us Three.” Sparse arrangements that eschew a harmonic instrument draw attention to both the melody and the rhythm, keeping the tracks simple and direct. Carlon plays riffs, Ayala and Corniel give them a foundation, and the songs practically frolic across their timespans.
Also this week, one of Chicago’s most celebrated working bands since the late 1990s makes its recorded debut, “WaBaSH,” with bassist Clark Sommers, tenor saxophonist Geof Bradfield, drummer Dana Hall, and multi-reedist John Wojciechowski; the Robert Jospe Quartet began their journey in 2022 and after three-and-a-half years of collaboration, that musical partnership has culminated in the album, “The Night Sky”; and guitarist Jacques Lesure delivers sophisticated improvised soulfulness with his quartet “Live at Lavender Blue” in Inglewood, California.