Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify    
Over the course of three decades as a professional performer, Michael Kaeshammer has developed a style that weaves threads of classical, jazz, blues, boogie-woogie and stride into a signature sound. He’s been nominated for seven Canadian Juno Awards, has received the West Coast Music Award for Musician of the Year and Entertainer of the Year, and has represented Canada at numerous Olympic ceremonies. With “The Warehouse Sessions,” Michael and his trio with bassist David Piltch and drummer Johnny Vidacovich, are captured with live off-the-floor performances in Bryan Adams’ recording studio in performances that are electric and spontaneous.

      Guitarist Adam Rose is a Philly native who has studied and performed with some of the legends including Branford Marsalis, Jimmy Bruno and Jack Wilkins. As a working musician, he has scored music for film, produced tracks with hip hop DJs, and performed nearly every genre of music including Brazilian, bluegrass, and free jazz. His love of straight ahead jazz and the great guitarists such as Wes Montgomery and Jim Hall shine through in his playing. His reverence for timeless composers such as Ellington and Villa-Lobos can be heard in the contour and form of his songs. Adam’s new disc, “Vibes + Tribes,” features six original compositions that reflect the diverse influences of his style.

 Also this week, pianist Emmet Cohen and his trio are joined by trumpeter Sean Jones and reedman Patrick Bartley on “Uptown in Orbit”;

baritone saxophonist Jason Marshall brings a giant, soulful sound and instantly appealing concept to his new project, “New Beginnings”;

and Portland-based pianist, composer and educator Kerry Politzer presents “In a Heartbeat,” music she wrote and recorded largely during the pandemic.

      Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify 
Grammy-nominated multireedist and composer Anat Cohen shifts her focus to an intimate group sound on her newest release, the endlessly colorful “Quartetinho.” The ensemble of New York-based international instrumentalist virtuosos are all drawn from the ranks of her Grammy-nominated Tentet, featuring bassist Tal Mashiach, pianist/accordionist Vitor Gonsalves and vibraphonist/percussionist James Shipp. The program includes original tunes by the band members along with material by the great masters Antonio Carlos Jobim, Egberto Gismonte, and more.

     One of Western Canada’s most celebrated instrumentalists, composers and bandleaders returns with his second studio album as a leader, “Imperfect Perfectionist.” The sophomore release from saxophonist Keith O’Rourke features his new concept of a piano-less  trio, giving the artist space to develop thematic improvisations and small group explorations that merge the influences of artists like Sonny Rollins and Gerry Mulligan’s groups with his own distinctive voice on the instrument. Toronto-based sensation Sanah Kadoura was Keith’s first choice for the drum chair as she’s known for her fearless playing and endless creative chops. Double-bassist Kodi Hutchinson was a natural choice with his wealth of trio experience.

Also this week, multi-Grammy Award winner Eliane Elias masterfully captures the music of her home, Brazil, with the vibrant bossa nova album, “Quietude”;

Milwaukee-based trumpeter Eric Jacobson looked to his friends in Chicago to form the core of his quintet for “Discover”;

       and Harlem-based saxophonist and Philly native Sam Taylor presents his third release, “Let Go,” featuring trumpet master Terell Stafford.