Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify

“Brighter Days” finds saxophonist and composer Jarod Bufe back at the helm of his seasoned quartet, comprised of some of the most in-demand musicians on the contemporary Chicago jazz scene, each a leader in their own right: Matt Ulery on bass, Jon Deitemyer on drums and Tim Stine on guitar. Together they tackle nine new compositions, penned by Bufe in response to the pandemic, with a unity of conception and ease that can only develop night after night on the bandstand. Many of those nights were at Fitzgerald’s Sidebar, a long-standing, laid-back venue in historic Berwyn just outside Chicago, where the quartet maintained a residency from 2012 through 2019.

On “Bluegrass,” an extraordinary concert project by the WDR Big Band, two musical genres are ‘married’ which, despite their many similarities, have so far led isolated existences: bluegrass and large orchestral jazz. Anyone familiar with the bluegrass folk style, which originated in Kentucky and Tennessee in the late 1930’s and early ‘40s, will recognize elements of swing, blues and gospel alongside Country influences. Enthusiastic comrades-in-arms were found to create a fusion of bluegrass with big band jazz. Bob Mintzer, chief conductor of the WDR Big Band, wrote the arrangements and two high-caliber virtuosos of modern bluegrass were recruited for the solo parts: mandolinist Mike Marshall and violinist Darol Anger.

Also this week, trumpeter Rachel Therrien’s eighth album, “Mi Hogar II,” continues her celebration of the rich traditions of Latin jazz while embracing innovation and collaboration; the illustrious sax man Harry Allen comes together with trio mates Rossano Sportiello on piano and Bryan Carter on drums for a mix of new compositions and reimagined classics on “It Takes 3”; and saxophonist and composer Greg Abate heads his quartet of seasoned jazz musicians on  “Positive Energy,”  a session recorded in Santa Fe, New Mexico.