Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
Charlie Parker’s music has been recorded, studied, debated, and canonized for more than seventy years. Which is precisely why paying tribute to Bird still takes a lot of nerve. On “Another Kind of Bird,” drummer Richard Baratta does not tiptoe around this dilemma. Joined by arranger and pianist Bill O’Connell, Baratta revisits Parker’s music with a clear sense of purpose and a refusal to play it safe, delivering bold reimaginings propelled by a powerhouse ensemble. Baratta anchors the session with his working band, then raises the stakes. On select tracks, saxophonists Eric Alexander, Abraham Burton, and Craig Handy join regular altoist Vincent Herring to form a dynamic horn section that adds muscle and urgency to the music.

New Jazz Underground, an innovative American jazz trio, has earned acclaim for their distinctive approach in establishing themselves as a defining voice in jazz and beyond. Merging traditional jazz sensibilities with modern influences like swing, hip-hop, house/afro-beat, and Afro-Cuban music, the trio gained recognition through viral videos showcasing their chemistry, musicality, and raw ambition. Comprising bassist Sebastian Rios, saxophonist Abdias Armenteros and drummer TJ Reddick, New Jazz Underground’s talents are re-energizing the contemporary music world, serving as benchmarks for the future of jazz. “Hoodies” is their new release.

Also this week, The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra presents “Ellington Masterworks,” focusing on extended works, suite material, and character-driven pieces outside Duke Ellington’s most frequently performed repertoire;  the Grammy-winning Le Boeuf Brothers—alto saxophonist Remy and pianist Pascal—unveil “Off Center,” featuring longtime collaborators Dayna Stephens, Linda May Han Oh and Christian Euman; and the Dubuque-based DZ Combo were recorded “Live at the Bell Tower 1/24/26” for their latest release.

Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
“We Dream” is the new studio album by New York-based alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader and 6-time Grammy nominee Lakecia Benjamin. Conceived as a deeply band-driven project, her sixth album centers on her frequent collaborators in pianists Oscar Perez and Miki Hayama and bassist Elias Baily—along with new associates in trumpeter Sean Jones and drummer Jonhathan Barber—alongside an expansive cast of guest collaborators drawn from across jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and experimental music. Bringing together artists she admires for their capacity to evolve, innovate, and reshape musical language, Lakecia’s self-described team of “Avengers” includes trumpeters Terence Blanchard and Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, saxophonist Chris Potter, drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, pianist Hiromi, vocalist Bilal, and drummer and producer Kassa Overall.

After 22 albums across a 50-year career, Mark Winkler continues to find new ways to keep his music fresh and engaging. He eschews vocal pyrotechnics in favor of intimacy, delivering performances with a warm, unpretentious voice. Whether interpreting standards or his own wry compositions, Mr. Winkler connects deeply with lyrics that resonate on a personal level.  Two years in the making, “Love Comes First,” the singer-songwriter’s latest project, features 22 of Southern California’s top jazz musicians performing in a variety of combinations. The album includes five standards and six Winkler originals, showcasing his trademark wit and romantic sensibility.

Also this week, Helen Sung’s Big Band debut, “Oracles,” is a heartfelt thank you to jazz legends who mentored her in the inaugural class of the Thelonious Monk Institute, including Clark Terry, Ron Carter, Jimmy Heath, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock; the Detroit/Ann Arbor/Toledo based Latin jazz ensemble Tumbao Bravo was recorded live at the Blue Llama for their new release, “Joy of the Mambo”; and rising star trombonist Altin Sencalar gathers up an all-star band for an album of exciting explorations celebrating his “Natural Rhythm.”