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

The Bill Charlap Trio is the pinnacle of jazz piano trio playing and has been a New York City staple since 1997. The Grammy Award-winning pianist and his longtime trio partners, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, celebrate their twentieth anniversary together with “Uptown Downtown,” a new collection of essentials from Broadway, theater and jazz. Composers such as Gerry Mulligan (Charlap’s friend and early mentor), Richard Rodgers, Jim Hall, Duke Ellington, among others, are represented. “At this point,” says Charlap, “we can feel the multi layered communication which has developed from so many years of performing together plus the instant chemistry that we felt the first time we played…at the same time…every time.”

For the past 60 years, the 17 members of the SWR Big Band have thrilled audiences throughout Europe with a hugely varied repertoire and consistently excellent quality of music. Since 2002, they have received four Grammy nominations, which is credited to the outstanding soloists of the band, the extraordinary interplay of the musicians and great arrangements of new and classic songs alike. Their success is also supported by the collaborations with international jazz greats like Pat Metheny, Roy Hargrove and Sammy Nestico. For their newest release, “Lights On,” they join forces with nineteen time Grammy nominated and four-time Grammy winner Larry Carlton to perform a collection of songs that have been written or performed by the guitarist over the course of his 50-plus-year career.

Also this week, singer Dee Dee Bridgewater explores the musical roots and influences of her birth city with “Memphis…Yes, I’m Ready”.

Trumpeter and composer Tom Harrell leads his quartet on “Moving Pictures”.  

Australian-born singer, pianist, composer and arranger Sarah McKenzie offers up her second disc as a leader, “Paris in the Rain.”