Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
Charlie Parker’s music has been recorded, studied, debated, and canonized for more than seventy years. Which is precisely why paying tribute to Bird still takes a lot of nerve. On “Another Kind of Bird,” drummer Richard Baratta does not tiptoe around this dilemma. Joined by arranger and pianist Bill O’Connell, Baratta revisits Parker’s music with a clear sense of purpose and a refusal to play it safe, delivering bold reimaginings propelled by a powerhouse ensemble. Baratta anchors the session with his working band, then raises the stakes. On select tracks, saxophonists Eric Alexander, Abraham Burton, and Craig Handy join regular altoist Vincent Herring to form a dynamic horn section that adds muscle and urgency to the music.
New Jazz Underground, an innovative American jazz trio, has earned acclaim for their distinctive approach in establishing themselves as a defining voice in jazz and beyond. Merging traditional jazz sensibilities with modern influences like swing, hip-hop, house/afro-beat, and Afro-Cuban music, the trio gained recognition through viral videos showcasing their chemistry, musicality, and raw ambition. Comprising bassist Sebastian Rios, saxophonist Abdias Armenteros and drummer TJ Reddick, New Jazz Underground’s talents are re-energizing the contemporary music world, serving as benchmarks for the future of jazz. “Hoodies” is their new release.
Also this week, The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra presents “Ellington Masterworks,” focusing on extended works, suite material, and character-driven pieces outside Duke Ellington’s most frequently performed repertoire; the Grammy-winning Le Boeuf Brothers—alto saxophonist Remy and pianist Pascal—unveil “Off Center,” featuring longtime collaborators Dayna Stephens, Linda May Han Oh and Christian Euman; and the Dubuque-based DZ Combo were recorded “Live at the Bell Tower 1/24/26” for their latest release.