Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify.
A protégé of Quincy Jones, who took him under his wing when he defected to the U.S. in 2009, pianist Alfredo Rodriguez was schooled in the rigorous classical conservatories of Havana. His riveting artistry is informed as much by Bach and Stravinsky as it is by his Afro Cuban and jazz roots. Percussionist and vocalist Pedrito Martinez’s training came directly from the streets of the Cayo Hueso neighborhood of Old Havana in which he was raised, and has subsequently performed with artists such as Sting, Paul Simon and Wynton Marsalis. The two Grammy-nominated artists first worked together in 2012 on Alfredo’s release, “The Invasion Parade.” Since then they have had the rare occasion to perform as a duo, leaving audiences mesmerized by their fearless and virtuosic playing. These two master musicians take listeners on a unique and exciting journey on their new disc, “Duologue.”
In the summer of 2015, a grueling and often bewildering four-year battle with a rare cancer had the acclaimed pianist and composer Michael Wolff on the ropes. He’d fallen into a coma at a New York hospital, and the prognosis had moved from doubtful to defeated. At one point, as he was being cared for by his wife, a doctor asked her if she’d signed a Do Not Resuscitate order. Through the haze of drugs and debilitating illness, Wolff interjected. Lifting up his head, he growled, “Resuscitate me!” “I guess it just wasn’t my time,” he recalls today, chuckling. Now 66 and completely healthy, Wolff has seen his personal and creative outlook transformed in the profound way that occurs only in those who have been, as Wolff puts it, “to the brink and back.” His radiant new piano trio album, “Swirl,” features bassist Ben Allison and drummer Allan Mednard, and was recorded live in the audiophile-worthy environs of the Yamaha piano salon in Manhattan.
Also this week, the Ernie Watts Quartet, together now for eighteen years, unveils its latest work, “Home Light”;
Singer Cyrille Aimee takes a deep dive into the Stephen Sondheim songbook for her scintillating new album, “Move On: a Sondheim Adventure”;
and cultural influences from Brazil, India and Africa to Bali, Cuba and Puerto Rico are reflected in vibraphonist Ted Piltzecker’s new CD, “Brindica.”