Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and SpotifyHays Street Hart, the trio of pianist Kevin Hays, bassist Ben Street and legendary drummer Billy Hart, recorded their acclaimed 2021 debut under less then optimal conditions. The album began as a performance in honor of Hart’s 80th birthday in December of 2020, livestreamed from an empty Smoke Jazz Club …
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and SpotifyIn a 2019 article, Forbes magazine decreed that the two characteristics women need most to thrive in the business world are “grit and grace.” Bass trombonist Jennifer Wharton has exemplified those qualities in the music she’s made with her brass-forward band Bonegasm since its 2019 debut. How else to explain …
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify“Live from the Northwest, 1959” is a new collection from two electrifying concerts celebrating the iconic Dave Brubeck Quartet’s singular sound and stellar output in the 1950s. The remarkable live recording features four extraordinary musicians in top form, captured with exceptional sonic clarity by the groundbreaking audio engineer Wally Heider. …
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and SpotifyAcclaimed saxophonist Joshua Redman makes his Blue Note Records debut with “where are we,” his first ever vocal project. It features singer Gabrielle Cavassa, pianist Aaron Parks, bassist Joe Sanders, and drummer Brian Blade. Special guests include trumpeter Nicholas Payton, guitarists Kurt Rosenwinkel and Peter Bernstein, and vibraphonist Joel Ross. …
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify In Scott Yanow’s recently published book, “Swing,” Jon-Erik Kellso is described as being “one of the finest mainstream and trad cornetists to emerge during the 1990s.” He’s also featured in Yanow’s “Trumpet Kings” book. Now, after 16 years of Sunday nights at the historic Ear Inn in New York …
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify Woodlawn Cemetery is a National Historic Landmark in the Bronx, New York, that is known throughout the world as the final resting place of many celebrated jazz musicians, including Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Lionel Hampton, Max Roach, Ornette Coleman, Cootie Williams and Jackie McLean. The Woodlawn Conservancy commissioned saxophonist …
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify Trumpet legend Eddie Henderson celebrates the 50th anniversary of his debut album as a leader, 1973’s “Realization,” with the exhilarating new release, “Witness to History.” The stellar quintet on this album bridges that half-century of music, starting with lifelong collaborator George Cables returning once again to the piano bench. …
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify Headed by swinging drummer Sherrie Maricle, the Diva Jazz Orchestra exudes the excitement and force found in the tradition of historic big bands, with an eye toward originality and creativity. With New York as its home base, Diva performs original contemporary and mainstream big band jazz composed and arranged …
