Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify 

Trumpeter Rob Parton has been a staple of the Chicago music scene across genres and generations, equally at home with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and famous artists such as Tony Bennett and Natalie Cole, as well as leading his own JAZZTECH Big Band on 11 albums since 1984. While still active in Chicago and throughout the Midwest, in 2019, Parton moved to the storied University of North Texas, where he mentors the next generation of trumpet players and directs the storied UNT Two O’Clock Lab Band. After a couple years on the scene, he tapped into a hefty talent pool comprised of his colleagues at UNT and some top-call players in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The result is “Relentless,” the latest recording by Rob Parton’s Ensemble 9+.

Duke Ellington famously professed that when composing for his revered orchestra he wrote for the individual players, not for their instruments. For his stunning new album celebrating the timeless music of Ellington and his frequent composing partner Billy Strayhorn, low woodwind specialist Brian Landrus essentially reversed that concept, creating a virtual orchestra composed of the musicians he knows better than any other—himself. “Brian Landrus Plays Ellington & Strayhorn” features Landrus on a full spectrum of instruments, layering his multi-hued voices into a rich and distinctive orchestral sound. The tonality is given a brilliant foundation by the stellar rhythm section of guitarist Dave Stryker, bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Billy Hart.

Also this week, Josh Lawrence’s trumpet prowess takes center stage on “Measured Response”; keyboardist Mathew Whitaker features the music of some of his organ heroes with “On Their Shoulders: An Organ Tribute”; and singer/songwriter/keyboardist Ben Sidran celebrated his 80^th birthday in Paris recording with friends old and new for his new album, “Rainmaker.”