Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify.
The merging of Brazilian music and American jazz changed the trajectory of modern music. The inceptions of bossa nova, samba jazz and other fusions enabled Brazil to make its mark on jazz and beyond, via some incredible musicians and composers, including the legendary Dom Salvador. The remarkable pianist and his classic trios made an impression on many during the mid-1960s, including a young Duduka da Fonseca. “Duduka da Fonseca Trio Plays Dom Salvador” was born from the leader’s love of Salvador and his music and Fonseca’s effort to make a proper tribute to his friend and mentor.
The Black Art Jazz Collective’s mission statement celebrates African-American cultural and political icons. At the core is a modernism that conjure up the classic bands of Art Blakey and acoustic Miles Davis. But with contemporary soul-fueled solos and locked-in rhythms, the band is more likely to launch into a counterpoint riff or the spacious funk of hip-hop than the svelte lines of a classic walking bass. With their new CD, “Armor of Pride,” the Collective delivers strong original tunes and purposeful, form-hugging improvisation that keeps things looking forward rather than back. And with trumpeter Jeremy Pelt in ebullient form, and saxophonist Wayne Escoffery’s muscularity contrasting with the tenderness of James Burton III’s trombone, the focus never wavers or becomes diffuse.
Also this week, tenor saxophonist JD Allen delivers a beautiful and intensely interesting ballads album, “Love Stone”.
Keyboardist Geoffrey Keezer returns to the piano trio format with “On My Way to You”.
Harmonica ace Hendrick Meurkens pairs up with pianist Bill Cunliffe on “Cabin in the Sky.”