Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify.
Saxophonist Kamasi Washington’s new EP, “Harmony of Difference,” premiered as part of the Whitney Museum of American Art’s 2017 Biennial alongside a film by A.G Rojas and also featuring artwork by Kamasi’s sister, Amani Washington. It’s an original six-part suite that explores the philosophical possibilities of the musical technique known as ‘counterpoint,’ which Kamasi defines as “the art of balancing similarity and difference to create harmony between separate melodies.” Each of the first five movements is its own unique composition, while the sixth fuses all five compositions into one simultaneous performance. Echoing this fusion, Amani created five paintings focused on raw shapes and colors, each inspired by one of the first five movements of the suite. She then combined these paintings to create a sixth: an abstract depiction of a human face.
Steve Slagle’s follow-up to his much acclaimed “Alto Manhattan” is titled “Dedication,” which once again has a double meaning. Each of the nine songs are specifically dedicated to a person or thing directly related to this music. The disc most clearly represents where his music is heading and has as a special guest his long-time friend, guitarist Dave Stryker, on several tracks as well as Cuban conguero Roman Diaz. The saxophonist again has Bill Stewart on drums, Lawrence Fields on piano and a bassist he has worked with and known quite a while, the great Scott Colley, to form the core quartet.
Also this week, Triocity, the collective trio of drummer Rich Thompson, bassist Jeff Campbell and woodwind player Charles Pillow, all long-time faculty members of the acclaimed Eastman School of Music, unveils “I Believe in You”.
Singer Jackie Allen offers up a collection of songs written by her bassist Hans Sturm on “Rose Fingered Dawn”.
Guitarist Tom Guarna is joined by bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade for “The Wishing Stones.”