Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify.
“A true and modern arrangement!” is how composer Claude Bolling refers to American composer/arranger Steve Barta’s new “Symphonic Arrangement: Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano.” Bolling’s 1975 recording enjoyed a lengthy stay on the Billboard charts to become a standard in the jazz and classical worlds. With Mr. Bolling’s approval, Barta has taken the original work and arranged it for jazz quartet, string quartet and orchestra. For Barta, the correct personnel to interpret the suite was essential. They include master flutist Hubert Laws, piano prodigy Jeffrey Biegel, Brazilian drummer Michael Shapiro and bassist Michael Valerio. “I can’t imagine a better group four people for the jazz quartet,” says Barta.
“People Talk” is vibraphonist Christian Tamburr’s sixth self-produced album. He has been recognized multiple times by DownBeat as one of the top vibraphonists performing today, and has guested with Dave Brubeck, Clark Terry, James Moody and Kenny Barron. The new album combines the talents of Japan’s top jazz pianist and composer Takana Miyamoto and one the world’s most in-demand percussionists, Keita Ogawa. All the arrangements were written specifically for the trio and embrace sounds from around the world including America’s traditional jazz and South American and Asian cultures.
Also this week, New Orleans ambassador of drumming Herlin Riley offers up his first leader date in many years, “New Direction,” a mix of N’awlins dipped neo-bop, funk jazz; saxophonist Jeff Coffin, he of Flecktones and Dave Matthews Band fame, joins up with Caleb Chapman’s Crescent City Super Band for “The Inside of the Outside,” featuring special guests Victor Wooten, Branford Marsalis, Randy Brecker, Trombone Shorty and Pedrito Martinez; and drummer Jae Sinnett unveils a new quartet on “Zero to 60” including reedman Ralph Bowen, pianist Allen Farnham and bassist Hans Glawischnig.