Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
“A killer line-up of players, composers and performers who hail from all over the world…they all converge on this extremely cosmopolitan, sleek, rhythm-forward modern sound.” So says NPR Music about the debut of the all-female jazz super group Artemis, comprised of pianist and musical director Renee Rosnes, clarinetist Anat Cohen, saxophonist Melissa Aldana, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, bassist Noriko Ueda, drummer Alison Miller and vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant. The group, taking its name from the Greek goddess of the hunt, is distinctive not only for bringing together seven singular artists, each renowned for their own remarkable solo careers, but for its multi-generational and globe-spanning lineup, with members hailing from the U.S., Canada, France, Chile, Israel and Japan.
As the follow-up to his 2018 Grammy-winning big band album, Cuban-born drummer, composer, educator, and 2011 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Dafnis Prieto returns with his newest album, “Transparency.” It’s his third sextet recording and his eighth release overall as a leader. A gifted educator, currently serving on the faculty at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, Dafnis also recently released his second book, “Rhythmic Synchronicity.” The CD was recorded in New York City in early March just prior to the Covid-19 shutdown following a four-night run at the world-famous Jazz Standard.
Also this week, the Flying Horse Big Band of central Florida delves into the Ray Charles songbook on “Florida Rays”;
saxophonist JD Allen showcases his newest trio on his 14th release as a leader, “Toys/Die Dreaming”;
and Brazilian pianist Ricardo Bacelar was captured live at the Blue Note in Rio with his septet for “Ao Vivo No Rio.”