Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
Bassist Neal Miner has always been drawn to writing contrafacts because, when musicians are deeply familiar with the harmony of a tune, creativity and connection become second nature. Most of the original compositions on his new CD, “Invisibility,” are based on American standards and inspired by jazz from the 1950s into the ‘60s, alongside four originals and two blues tunes. His trio, with Chris Byars on tenor sax and Jason Tiemann on drums, functions as a true collective, exploring the full range of textures and colors that can be achieved with just three instruments.

After many recordings as a sideman or bandmember, New Orleans-born saxophonist, composer and arranger David Bode releases his debut album as a leader, “Good Hang,” leading a 19-piece big band that includes some of NOLA’s finest musicians. The record is imbued with the history of Bode’s native city, as it was recorded at Marigny Studios, just blocks away from the world-famous Frenchmen Street. It’s where Bode and many other musicians on the album cut their teeth. The album gets its release 20 years to the day after Hurricane Katrina and the federal levee failures swamped the city.

Also this week, bassist, composer, arranger, producer and bandleader Christian McBride reconvenes his Grammy Award-winning big band for the star-studded “Without Further Ado, Vol. 1,” with special guest vocalists including Samara Joy, Jose James, Dianne Reeves, and Cecile McLorin Salvant; “Un Harmonica Pour Django” is Yvonnick Prene’s heartfelt tribute to Django Reinhardt, reimagining his iconic gypsy jazz through the unique voice of the chromatic harmonica; and Irving Flores Afro-Cuban Jazz Sextet takes us on a Latin jazz carpet ride with “Armando Me Conga.”

Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
Those who have frequented New York’s City’s staple jazz venues in recent years will have noticed a bright new name increasingly appearing consistently. From Dizzy’s and Small’s to Jazz at Lincoln Center, the 2021 BMI Future Jazz Master Caelan Cardello is a pianist whose renown is dramatically and rightly spreading. A mentee of jazz greats such as Harold Mabern, Bill Charlap and Fred Hersch, Cardello’s playing leans into the timeless elements of swing while raising melody, with depths of nuance and intentionality, to the fore. Now, taking to the studio for the first time, Cardello presents eight original compositions and three arrangements on “Chapter One.”

“Summit” is the culmination of nearly two decades of compositional exploration—a collection of pieces written across different stages of guitarist Nadav Remez’s life that ultimately coalesced into a unified artistic statement. It showcases a group of fearless, emotionally resonant musicians, with longtime collaborators Gregory Tardy and Ben Tiberio bringing deep rooted chemistry, while newer voices Guy Moskovich and David Sirkis inject fresh energy. The album blends original compositions with reimagined Israeli and Jewish melodies, creating a musical topography where the past and present converge seamlessly.

Also this week, the Wild Iris Brass Band, a Nashville-based, New Orleans-informed brass band co-led by saxophonist Jeff Coffin and trombonist Ray Mason, are joined by special guests Bela Fleck and Steven Bernstein for their debut release, “Way Up”; the Ira B. Liss Big Band Jazz Machine pairs “Unexpected “Guests” and instruments with the classic 17-piece big band on their latest disc; and pianist and composer Art Hirahara and a stellar septet of renowned musicians provide an emotional journey through the diverse landscape of modern jazz on “Peace Unknown.”