Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify.
The Tokyo born, New York based Miho Hazama has made quite a name for herself as an arranger, composer and conductor. She has composed pieces for the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and Siena Wind Ochestra and has arranged for artists and ensembles as diverse as the Danish Radio Big Band and Ryuichi Sakamoto. In 2011, she was invited, as one of eight arrangers from around the world, to take part in the famed Metropole Orkest’s residency program, led by the legendary Vince Mendoza. There were master classes and rehearsals all week for arrangements the residents would write, in four days, to be performed by the Big Band. The trial by fire made Hazama crave another chance to arrange for the Orkest. She got that chance last year when her project to arrange original pieces and orchestrate solo pieces by Thelonious Monk, in his centennial year, was selected for the orchestra. The results can be heard on the new recording, “The Monk: Live at Bimhuis.”

     Watching Joni Mitchell morph from acoustic chanteuse to sophisticated interpreter of jazz, accompanied by geniuses like Pastorius, Shorter, Metheny and Brecker truly floored Debra Mann. The pianist and vocalist seized on the idea of taking Mitchell’s material further into jazz and began trying it out at clubs. It captivated her audiences in the same way it did Mann herself. Now, “Full Circle” reflects on a lifetime of admiration for an artist who has been uncompromising in her approach to music and in writing, and this on the occasion of Mitchell turning 75 years old this year. The disc reimagines some of Mitchell’s most popular tunes, holding onto the timeless melodies while overlaying them with an irrepressible swing feel.

Also this week, the twenty-five year collaboration between saxophonist Houston Person and bassist Ron Carter continues with their sixth release as a duo, “Remember Love”.

 Vibraphonist Mike Freeman pays tribute to Tito Puente and Bobby Hutcherson on his new disc, “Venetian Blinds”.

Vocalists Mark Winkler and Cheryl Bentyne team up for the second time on record with “Eastern Standard Time.”

    Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify.

 Puerto Rican trumpeter Charlie Sepulveda has been a fixture of the Latin jazz world since the late 1980s when he played in the band of pianist and composer Eddie Palmieri. During the 1990s, a renaissance period for el jazz Latino, the brassman toured and recorded with an array of great artists including Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, Hilton Ruiz, Dave Valentin, Danilo Perez and Steve Turre. He launched his own group, The Turnaround, 25 years ago and has been turning the tables on the traditional Latin jazz format ever since. The inspiration for his new project with The Turnaround, “Songs for Nat,” is his new wife Natalia. He wrote all the songs right after a series of tropical storms ravaged the island of Puerto Rico late last year.

     Known for his fiery, emotive drumming from the last decade of touring and recording with Sonny Rollins, Bobby Broom and Kurt Elling, Kobie Watkins was at the same time visualizing musical concepts for his own compositions and group. First explored on his 2009 solo debut, Watkins’ new formation was created from the inside out, born and cultivated from his travels and experiences and realized through his several years performing with pianist Justin Nielson and his creatively connected bandmates. Though born and raised in Chicago and now based in North Carolina, the Grouptet was formed by happenstance in Idaho where they were each brought in to teach. The remoteness allowed them to freely explore their own collective voice resulting in a collection of nine inspired originals, along with a slinky new arrangement of “Manteca.”

Also in the mix this week is the debut album from one of San Francisco’s most respected and busiest percussionists Javier Cabanillas and his band Cabanijazz Project “Infrasonic”.

 ; “Kinship” is the debut solo release from Toronto-based trumpeter John Pittman, who has been a member of both the Heavyweights Brass Band and the Composer’s Collective Big Band

The Dennis Dreith Band is comprised of some of Los Angeles’ top jazz and session musicians for their “Reunion” CD.