Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
After receiving four Grammy nominations for his highly successful series of recordings that “Latinized” the music of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Horace Silver, trombonist Conrad Herwig turns his attention to the legendary Charles Mingus. As an homage to the influential artist, Herwig provides a fiery excursion into the world of Afro-Caribbean rhythms skillfully applied to Mingus’ wildly imaginative compositions. Joining Herwig and his long-time Latin Side Band is special guest trumpeter Randy Brecker.
Throughout his career, Brazilian drummer and four-time Grammy nominee Duduka da Fonseca has been one of the leaders in performing music that mixes together jazz with Brazilian rhythms. He played extensively in his native Rio de Janeiro before moving to New York in 1975, where he has worked with a who’s who of jazz and led several groups of his own. His newest group, Quarteto Universal, features pianist Helio Alves, bassist Gili Lopes and guitarist Vinicius Gomes on their debut release, “Yes!!!”
Also this week, pianist Spike Wilner was recorded live at his Mezzrow Jazz Club in New York City for “Spike Wilner Trio Plays Monk & Ellington”;
“Finding the Right Notes” is the original motion picture soundtrack to a new documentary on bassist Ron Carter;
and saxophonist and composer Dennis Mitcheltree celebrates family, lost friends and major inspirations on his sixth disc as a leader, “Golden Rule.”