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

The first week of March in 1963 was a busy one for John Coltrane. He was in the middle of a two-week run at Birdland and was gearing up for the famed “John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman” album, which he recorded on March 7.  The day before, he and his classic quartet with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones cut a complete album’s worth of material, including several original compositions that were never recorded elsewhere. At the end of the day, Coltrane took the reference tapes home with him where they remained untouched for the next 54 years. Impulse Records approached the family about finally releasing this lost album, which they have now done as “Both Directions at Once: the Lost Album.”

     The Bob Mintzer Big Band collaborates with New York Voices for the first time on “Meeting of Minds.” The combination of the dynamic writing styles Bob Mintzer and Darmon Meader produces a very dense yet very fresh sonic palette. The repertoire draws on the Great American Songbook from the 1930s and 1940s, with subtle harmonic and rhythmic nuances in the arrangements that blend together to deliver an engaging musical journey. In addition to the wonderful arrangements, the album showcases over a dozen powerful improvised solos from some of the top musicians in the world.

Also this week, the brilliant pianist and composer Shamie Royston presents her second release as a leader, “Beautiful Liar”.

Internationally renowned jazz guitarist and oud virtuoso Amos Hoffman and world class pianist/composer Noam Lemish team up on “Pardes,” offering an inspired blend of jazz, North African and Latin rhythms, and melodies from various Jewish communities across the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

Charles Lloyd & the Marvels unveil their second release “Vanished Gardens,” with guest vocalist Lucinda Williams.

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

Whether supplying eminently tasteful but strong-as-steel backing for singers like Nancy Wilson and Sarah Vaughan, or venturing into uncharted new territory as a member of Herbie Hancock’s groundbreaking Mwandishi band, Buster Williams’ playing has always evidenced that fearless willingness to leap unhesitatingly into the unknown. With his new recording, “Audacity,” the legendary bassist marks another chapter in that ongoing history. Conceived as he celebrated his 75^th birthday, the disc finds Williams stepping into the studio as a leader for the first time since 2004, leading his long-running all-star quartet Something More with saxophonist Steve Wilson, pianist George Colligan and drummer Lenny White.  

     Very few artists stay at the top of their game for their entire career. However, Freddy Cole’s velvet unhurried singing style remains every bit as cool and hip as it was when his first record was released in 1964. His seasoned voice is as affecting as ever, his understanding of a song’s expressive anatomy never more incisive. Pianist John di Martino, bassist Elias Bailey, guitarist Randy Napolean and drummer Quentin Baxter are trusted associates of Cole who respond to his inimitable sense of swing with now intuitive assurance. Mr. Cole’s new CD, “My Mood is You,” also features guest saxophonist Joel Frahm, displaying a sympathetic style that puts him in a league with such earlier illustrious Cole saxophone allies as Houston Person and David ‘Fathead’ Newman.

Also this week, veteran reedman Jerry Weldon makes his debut on Cellar Live Records with “Those Were the Days,” a worthy addition to the growing number of excellent Hammond organ-based albums that have found a home on that label.

Bassist Marcus Miller unveils “Laid Black,” his first release in three years, featuring guest artists like Trombone Shorty, Kirk Whalum, Take 6 and Jonathan Butler.

Pianist Theo Hill embarks on a new mission with his latest release entitled “Interstellar Adventures,” with the able assistance of his new acoustic/electric trio featuring bassist Rashaan Carter and drummer Rudy Royston.