Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify.
Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Brian Lynch presents one of his most ambitious works to date, “The Omni-American Book Club.” The expansive album of music for large ensemble connects Lynch’s lifelong passion for reading and the books that have shaped his life with his original music. Alongside a strong emphasis on the work of African-American writers and writing on African-American culture, Lynch’s reading interests range widely in the area of social consciousness and social justice. The nine compositions offer a panoramic view of his world as composer, arranger and trumpet soloist in his first big band recording as a leader. With the help of an all-star cast of special guests, the pieces blend Afro-Cuban jazz and straight-ahead swingers with hints of hip hop, funk and boss nova.
When she recorded her solo piano debut in 2009, Hiromi was on the eve of her 30th birthday. She realized that the album would offer a snapshot of the chapter just ending, the ways in which her experiences and personal growth had shaped her sound over the course of her 20s. She decided then that she would revisit the solo format at least once a decade, building a sonic portrait of her evolution and artistry. Ten years later, the prolific pianist goes it alone once again. “Spectrum” celebrates the maturity and depth that have enriched Hiromi’s composing and playing over the course of her 30s, years in which she’s crisscrossed the globe thrilling audiences and embarked on collaborations with some of jazz’s most innovative artists, including Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Michel Camilo.
Also this week, the Joshua Redman Trio and the string quartet Brooklyn Rider collaborate on eight compositions from a suite by composer Patrick Zimmerli, “Sun on Sand”;
the all-female Diva Jazz Orchestra is joined by guests Ken Peplowski, Claudio Roditi and Jay Ashby for “Diva + the Boys”;
and “Being There” is the latest recording from critically acclaimed saxophonist, composer and arranger Elias Haslanger and his award-winning band, Church on Monday.