Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
Acclaimed 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. At its core, the disc is both a celebration and a critique of America—each song is about a specific geographical location in the United States—but it is also, to varying degrees, a ballads album, a standards album, an album of romantic longing, an album of social reflection, an album of melodic invention, and an album of improvisational adventure.

Swing, blues and bebop are the core musical values of Jocelyn Gould’s new album, “Sonic Bouquet.” With this record, the JUNO-winning guitarist builds on the success of her first two albums with a studio recording that captures the spirit and spontaneity of a live club performance. It was recorded in a single day, immediately following  Gould’s return to Toronto after a six week, thirty-three concert tour of the United States. Her internationally acclaimed band features drummer Quincy Davis from Texas, bassist Rodney Whitaker and guitarist from Michigan, pianist Will Bonness of Winnipeg, and clarinetist Virginia MacDonald from Toronto.

Also this week, award winning bassist and top-selling composer/arranger Kris Berg and his Metroplexity Big Band are joined by special guests Randy Brecker, Tom “Bones” Malone and Eric Marienthal on “Perspective”; guitarist John Stein unveils his 18^th recording and 13^th for the renowned Whaling City Sound label, “No Goodbyes”; and composer/arranger Darcy James Argue and his Secret Society pay homage to some of his key influences with “Dynamic Maximum Tension.”