Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify.
At a time whe
n jazz bandleaders from across the musical and generational spectra regularly lament the difficulty of keeping a band together, it’s all the more remarkable that a supergroup like One For All has stuck it out for twenty years. But the impeccably swinging sextet, made up of some of the most in-demand players in modern jazz, is not just celebrating past achievements but charging forward into the future. “The Third Decade,” One For All’s 16th release and its first in five years, is the first in its history to feature original compositions by all six members. The disc once again brings together tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, trumpeter Jim Rotondi, trombonist Steve Davis, pianist David Hazeltine, bassist John Webber and drummer Joe Farsnworth.
“The pianist Brad Mehldau has led this iteration of his pace-setting trio—with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard—since 2005, and it has evolved into a graceful powerhouse, equally savvy about groove and harmony,” according to the New York Times. The Brad Mehldau Trio now unveils its first new release since 2012, “Blues and Ballads.” Their previous release received critical acclaim, with the Financial Times saying, “Mehldau never lets his peerless technique and meticulous timing interrupt the narrative flow of a well-told tale. Here, the pianist and his trio burrow deep into left-field pop and the American songbook, and give an adventurous sheen to modern jazz.” The new disc similarly comprises interpretations of songs by other composers, this time with the focus on blues and ballads implied by the album’s title.
Also this week, the Verve Jazz Ensemble serves up its third release, “Perimeter,” presenting five new originals and standards by Arthur Schwartz, Bill Evans, and Don Menza.
Iowa native Corey Kendrick combines the infectious swing of the Oscar Peterson trio and the intricate interaction of the Bill Evans trio with a modern harmonic sensibility on his debut trio recording, “Rootless”.
Bassist Jeff Denson features the rare appearance of a jazz bassoonist in his quartet on “Concentric Circles.”