Jazz journalist Bill Milkowski has described singer Nancy Kelly as “…a world-class jazz singer” with “…superb phrasing, excellent time, great intonation and tons of chops…” Rekindling the vibes of her early 1980s, 5-year run at Philly’s famed Jewell’s Jazz Club, Ms. Kelly gathers her musical family—saxophonist Jerry Weldon, guitarist Dave Stryker, drummer Carmen Intorre and the young organ phenom William Gorman—for a deeply soulful set of swinging standards, bop, and pop tunes on her new CD, “Be Cool.” Dynamic and full of life, Kelly displays a divine sense of pacing, mood, emotion and musical savvy throughout this powerful set.
“Screen Time,” trumpeter Thomas Marriott’s 15th album as a leader, features music from screens large and small, from the cineplex to the iPhone, all reinvented for a state-of-the-art jazz quartet. With longtime collaborator and producer Orrin Evans on piano, rising star Mark Whitfield, Jr. on drums and jazz legend Robert Hurst III on bass, the disc takes the listener through an album of songs both familiar and obscure, energetic and contemplative, original and well-loved, and always engaging.
Also this week, “Touch” is the highly anticipated new album from Grammy-nominated pianist, composer and arranger Bill O’Connell, showcasing the artist’s return to the intimate trio format; drummer, composer and Iowa native Bill Stewart is captured “Live at the Village Vanguard” with bassist Larry Grenadier and saxophonist Walter Smith III; and Poncho Sanchez and his Latin Jazz Band are “Live at the Belly Up Tavern” in Solana Beach, California, for their new offering.