Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
Nicole Glover has been getting some well-deserved exposure recently in the context of groups like the Artemis sextet and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. But this tenor saxophonist is best appreciated on her own albums, where she fronts a saxophone-bass-drums trio. While not a common jazz format, this instrumentation has sired some classic recordings, beginning with a 1945 recording by Don Byas and Slam Stewart, through classics by Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson and Ornette Coleman, to contemporary trios led by Branford Marsalis and JD Allen. Glover’s own trio on her new disc, “Plays,” features the rich, full-toned bass of Tyrone Allen and the sensitive, yet propulsive drumming of Kayvon Gordon. A special guest on the recording is vibes master Steve Nelson, who appears on four of the tracks.
The Shona word “Ngayibatanei” translates to a call for unity and kinship, emphasizing the interconnectedness of people—a very appropriate sentiment guiding the second album by Idit Shner & Mhondoro. The melding of traditional Zimbabwean music, American jazz, and an unescapable dose of the Pacific Northwest, the disc celebrates the sounds of its diverse roots with tart melodies sailing amongst inspired grooves, creating surprising moments throughout. Along with Ms. Shner, the Israeli saxophonist, Mhondoro is Zimbabwean vocalist & percussionist John Mambira, and the Oregon-bred rhythm section of pianist Torrey Newhart, bassist Garrett Baxter and drummer Ken Mastrogiovanni, who discovered their collective sound during the long days of the pandemic.
Also this week, saxophonist and composer Chris Potter features a modern day supergroup including pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade on the new record “Eagle’s Point”; saxophonist and composer Melissa Aldana’s second Blue Note album, “Echoes of the Inner Prophet,” is a musical voyage to explore the depth of the spiritual journey; and Columbus, Ohio-based organist Tony Monaco demonstrates that he is still a stone-cold cooker on “Over and Over.”