Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
Saxophonist Wayne Escoffery is renowned for his fiery, muscular and virtuosic tenor playing, but his explosive sound is paired with a soft-spoken and thoughtful demeanor off the bandstand. In many cases, both those aspects of his personality can be credited to the same inspirations–giants of the music who paired estimable talents and imagination with rock-solid integrity. On his new CD, “The Humble Warrior,” he pays homage to those figures. “We lost a lot of really great musicians in 2018 and 2019,” Mabern says. “People like Roy Hargrove, Harold Mabern, Larry Willis, Richard Wyands, Lawrence Leathers and, most recently, Jimmy Heath. I would describe all of those musicians as ‘humble warriors’. They all exemplified the utmost humility and integrity despite their superior abilities. I hope to maintain those same traits in my musical endeavors.”
Linley Hamilton has been the foremost trumpeter in Ireland for the last 20 years. He is one of the most prolific figures in the jazz scene on the islands between his role as a radio broadcaster for the BBC, his position as Professor of Music at the Ulster University Magee, and meeting the demands of his musical performances. For his new release, “For the Record,” two of his all-time musical heroes, drummer Adam Nussbaum and bassist Mark Egan, joined two of his best friends in a four-gig Northern Ireland tour and recording project. The compositions are almost entirely original and were generated with the specific musicians in mind.
Also this week, another Islander, the Welsh vocalist Ian Shaw, unveils a new trio project, “What’s New”;
“Day by Day,” a wonderful new recording from Canadian saxophonist and composer Cory Weeds features pianist David Hazeltine;
and another band from the U.K., Gogo Penguin, with pianist Chris Illingworth, bassist Nick Blacka and drummer Rob Turner, offers up its new, self-titled CD.