Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify.
A gathering of legendary artists has come together to join the Count Basie Orchestra under the direction of Scotty Barnhart for “All About That Basie,” celebrating the iconic band from its earliest years, throughout the decades and through to today’s contemporary artists. An amazing array of guest talent was put together to help the celebration including singer Kurt Ellling, organist Joey DeFrancesco, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, trumpeter Jon Faddis, and multi-Grammy winning jazz vocal group Take 6. In addition to playing some of the classics from the Basie songbook, the band continues its tradition of covering the hits of the era with arrangements of tunes by Stevie Wonder, Leonard Cohen and Adele.
Bassist Ben Allison’s “Quiet Revolution,” previously available only on vinyl in 2016, has been remixed and remastered in stunning high resolution for its CD release. The disc features the trio of Allison, guitarist Steve Cardenas and reedman Ted Nash playing compositions by legendary musicians Jim Hall and Jimmy Giuffre. Ben explains, “As jazz was becoming more abstract, expressionistic and at times bombastic, Giuffre and Hall were going in the opposite direction. They were envisioning quieter music that embraced the elements of free playing, while maintaining blues-based folk qualities. This music has a unique kind of sophisticated simplicity that has stood the test of time.”
Also this week, the acclaimed Toronto-based trio Myriad 3, featuring bassist Dan Fortin, keyboardist Chris Donnelly and drummer Ernesto Cervini, displays its creative chemistry on “Vera”.
Pianist/composer Helen Sung utilizes jazz and poetry as a powerful catalyst to create new music on “Sung With Words,” featuring saxophonist John Ellis and trumpeter Ingrid Jensen
And pianist and composer Art Hirahara and his trio are joined by saxophonist Donny McCaslin on “Sunward Bound.”