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. Recorded over two nights in April of 1959 at the popular Multnomah Hotel in Portland and the auditorium of the nearby Clark College, the Quartet was playing-in some of the repertoire from their upcoming “Gone With the Wind” sessions later that month.

There is no other modern-day tenor saxophonist whose playing embodies the essence of jazz more than Ron Blake’s. He has won numerous awards, including 4 Emmys, 4 Grammy’s, and recognition from the U.S. Congress and the Virgin Islands Legislature for his commitment to education and musical accomplishments. He has released 4 solo albums, and has been featured on over 60 other albums as a guest and sideman. He has played in ensembles of legendary jazz musicians including Roy Hargrove, Christian McBride, Art Farmer and Roy Haynes. And he’s held down the position of baritone saxophonist for the Saturday Night Live Band for more than 18 years. Blake’s new disc, “Mistaken Identity,” features guitarist Bobby Broom, drummer Kobie Watkins, and bassists Nat Reeves and Reuben Rogers.

Also this week, South Korean-born pianist, composer, and educator Eunmi Lee brings a distinct compositional flair to her debut album, “Introspection”; vocal sensation Veronica Swift stretches her wings and opens up her wide range of influences on her new self-titled disc; and one of the most popular instrumentalists in the world, trumpeter Chris Botti, gets back to the jazz essence of his artistry on his Blue Note Records debut, “Vol. 1.”