Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
Bassist Roberto Occhipinti is an established presence on both the Canadian and international jazz scenes. A five-time Juno Award recipient, he is in demand across an astounding range of contexts. The latter part of his career has seen Occhipinti recording with a number of Cuban musicians, on projects with Jane Bunnett and Hilario Duran in particular, but there are few formats he hasn’t been involved in, from playing bass in Canada’s top-rate orchestras, to cutting-edge contemporary music, to Latin American performances, and work with top musicians from African and Asia. His new trio recording, “The Next Step,” looks to synthesize his diverse collection of musical interests via a classic jazz format.

     Doug Munro is a critically acclaimed New York-based jazz guitarist who has released 20 albums as a leader since 1986, and has appeared on over 100 recordings as a sideman, producer and arranger, working with artists like Dr. John, Michael Brecker, and Dr. Lonnie Smith. He has over 75 published compositions and over 300 recorded arrangements to his credit. His new project, “Putt Lake Toodleloo,” is his third release with his gypsy swing band La Pompe Attack and probably his most daring mash up of music to date, including original compositions and songs by the Beatles, Soundgarden, James Taylor, Jaco Pastorius, Wayne Shorter and Django Reinhardt.

Also this week, saxophonist Walt Weiskopf, a long-time member of the Steely Dan band, returns to his European Quartet for “Diamonds and Other Jewels”;

 guitarist Pasquale Grasso digs into the music of Diz, Monk and Bird on “Be-Bop!”;

     and Washington, D.C. based SaltmanKnowles, led by bassist Mark Saltman and pianist William Knowles, offer up their eighth release of primarily original music, “Native Speaker.”