Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
“We Dream” is the new studio album by New York-based alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader and 6-time Grammy nominee Lakecia Benjamin. Conceived as a deeply band-driven project, her sixth album centers on her frequent collaborators in pianists Oscar Perez and Miki Hayama and bassist Elias Baily—along with new associates in trumpeter Sean Jones and drummer Jonhathan Barber—alongside an expansive cast of guest collaborators drawn from across jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and experimental music. Bringing together artists she admires for their capacity to evolve, innovate, and reshape musical language, Lakecia’s self-described team of “Avengers” includes trumpeters Terence Blanchard and Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, saxophonist Chris Potter, drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, pianist Hiromi, vocalist Bilal, and drummer and producer Kassa Overall.
After 22 albums across a 50-year career, Mark Winkler continues to find new ways to keep his music fresh and engaging. He eschews vocal pyrotechnics in favor of intimacy, delivering performances with a warm, unpretentious voice. Whether interpreting standards or his own wry compositions, Mr. Winkler connects deeply with lyrics that resonate on a personal level. Two years in the making, “Love Comes First,” the singer-songwriter’s latest project, features 22 of Southern California’s top jazz musicians performing in a variety of combinations. The album includes five standards and six Winkler originals, showcasing his trademark wit and romantic sensibility.
Also this week, Helen Sung’s Big Band debut, “Oracles,” is a heartfelt thank you to jazz legends who mentored her in the inaugural class of the Thelonious Monk Institute, including Clark Terry, Ron Carter, Jimmy Heath, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock; the Detroit/Ann Arbor/Toledo based Latin jazz ensemble Tumbao Bravo was recorded live at the Blue Llama for their new release, “Joy of the Mambo”; and rising star trombonist Altin Sencalar gathers up an all-star band for an album of exciting explorations celebrating his “Natural Rhythm.”