Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify.
“The Questions,” Kurt Elling’s newest studio recording, is his musical response to this moment in history and the widespread anxiety of our times. It touches artfully on challenges—personal, political, global, spiritual, and existential—and on hopes and aspirations for the future. Elling offers a vibrant and surprising choice of songs, from Bob Dylan and Paul Simon classics to jazz, Broadway, and the Great American Songbook, plus two new originals. NEA Jazz Master and celebrated saxophonist Branford Marsalis co-produced the disc with Elling and performs on three tracks.
“Say It” is the new disc from pianist composer and vocalist John Proulx, his fourth CD as a leader. He recorded his previous three albums for MaxJazz Records, but after the owner of the label passed away, he decided it was time to expand his horizons and take his career along a new and exciting path by producing “Say It” independently. The ten songs on this project are a mix of lesser-known jazz standards and jazz interpretations of pop songs by a diverse group of composers. Proulx chose the songs because they are beautifully constructed both melodically and lyrically, lending themselves to a fresh, new sound with updated modern jazz arrangements.
Also this week, West Coast pianist George Kahn presents new originals dedicated to jazz greats like Dave Brubeck, Wynton Kelly and Joe Sample on his ninth album, “Straight Ahead”.
The Eastern Iowa quartet Koplant No offers up another batch of compelling originals on their third CD, “Elker”.
Trumpeter and composer Josh Lawrence unveils the second release with his band Color Theory, “Contrast.”