Author's posts
New Music Monday for May 1, 2023
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and SpotifyWorld-renowned guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli has dedicated many of his albums to the great songwriters and performers who have helped to establish the Great American Songbook and the pop music canon: Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Paul McCartney, Richard Rodgers, and Duke Ellington, to name a few. With his …
New Music Monday for April 24, 2023
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and SpotifyTaj Mahal can rightfully be called a living legend for his contributions to popular music. With a voice that is as instantly recognizable as Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles or Dr. John, Taj Mahal throughout his career has pushed the envelope of American music forward by incorporating sounds from the Caribbean, …
New Music Monday for April 17, 2023
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify Toronto has been known as a great jazz city for decades. When jazz fans all over the world hear bands like Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass, they instantly recognize the swinging arrangements and immaculate playing as being emblematic of the Toronto sound. With “The Toronto Project,” The …
New Music Monday for April 10, 2023
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and SpotifyFor those unfamiliar with the title of the gorgeous new album from Buster Williams, “Unalome, or the lotus flower-topped symbol that graces its cover, is a Buddhist symbol representing individual transcendence and the path to enlightenment over the course of one’s life. The legendary bassist, a long-practicing Buddhist …
New Music Monday for April 3, 2023
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and SpotifyIn the grand tradition of jazz piano trio records, Lafayette Harris returns to Van Gelder Studios for his latest effort, “Swingin’ Up in Harlem,” covering a wide spectrum of tunes by composers ranging from Hoagy Carmichael to Stevie Wonder. Harris’ sympathies have always been wide-ranging, as one would …
New Music Monday for March 27, 2023
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify For years, the Brazilian bossa nova queen Rosa Passos has had a devoted global following, including fans who proclaim she is Brazil’s answer to Ella Fitzgerald or the female Joao Gilberto. She began playing piano at age 13, but after listening to Gilberto and Dorival Caymmi, she abandoned …
New Music Monday for March 20, 2023
Think of the songwriters whose work comprises the cannon of jazz standards, and names like Gershwin, Rodgers, Berlin and Porter immediately come to mind. On his new album, “Black, Brown, and Blue,” pianist Eric Reed argues for a revision of that canon to focus on Black and Brown composers, songwriters whose work originates …
New Music Monday for March 20, 2023
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify Think of the songwriters whose work comprises the cannon of jazz standards, and names like Gershwin, Rodgers, Berlin and Porter immediately come to mind. On his new album, “Black, Brown, and Blue,” pianist Eric Reed argues for a revision of that canon to focus on Black and …