Looking for some Monday motivation? We’ve got you covered! From the rediscovered music of an icon of Brazilian music to a “bittersweet” premiere, here are five new songs that you can listen to right now to start your week the right way.
Sumitra, “Recall”
https://youtu.be/yVcgHP_DK1c
Vocalist/pianist Sumitra is set to release her fourth album as a leader. Bittersweet features bassist Carlitos del Puerto and drummer Brian Blade, and it was produced by her husband, guitarist Alex Machacek. We’re delighted to present you with the premiere of the video for “Recall,” one of Sumitra’s seven originals from the album. “Bittersweet brings together all that the month of December represents for me: Memories of my mother’s December death, of our mutual December birthday and my December wedding anniversary,” she explains. “I have come to learn and understand that grief and joy can coexist side by side, in harmony – and I have been able to move forward, to find peace in what Brené Brown so appropriately calls “holding the tension”. To me, it seems that this quality is what life — and making music — is all about.” Bittersweet will be released on September 13.
Amendola Vs. Blades, “Hi-Lo”
“Hi-Lo” is a funky new song from Amendola Vs. Blades – the duo made up of drummer Scott Amendola and Hammond organ/clavinet virtuoso Wil Blades. The track is featured on their upcoming funky new album, Everybody Wins, due out October 11 via Royal Potato Family. The record features them leading a group of like-minded collaborators, including guitarist Jeff Parker, saxophonist Skerik, percussionist Cyro Baptista and keyboardist Bob Burger. “They just fit in with what they do,” explains Blades via a press release. “They straddle a lot of stylistic boundaries, all while maintaining their musical voices … Everyone is really open-minded and down to go wherever the music takes us!”
Wynton Marsalis, “Daily Battles”
WaterTower Music announced the release of two versions of the song “Daily Battles” from Motherless Brooklyn, the film written, directed, produced and starring Edward Norton, and slated for release from Warner Bros. Pictures on November 1. “Daily Battles” was written by Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and one of these versions is performed and arranged by the great jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. His take really conjures images of the ’50s-era gin-soaked Harlem jazz clubs seen in Motherless Brooklyn, which tells the story of a private detective afflicted with Tourette’s syndrome trying to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend. Click here to watch the trailer.
John Yao’s Triceratops, “Three Parts as One”
Trombonist/composer John Yao has shared “Three Parts as One,” his new song that perfectly encapsulates the central concept of his three-horn quintet Triceratops, with saxophonists Billy Drews and Jon Irabagon, plus bassist Peter Brendler and drummer Mark Ferber. “The idea is to have different parts coming together into one,” Yao says about his group via a press release. “That was the concept that was in play as I was thinking about these amazing players and how to bring them together into an organic combination.” “Three Parts as One” is also the thrilling opening track of Yao’s Triceratops’ upcoming album, How We Do, out October 18 via See Tao Recordings.
Ana Mazzotti, “Agora Ou Nunca Mais”
“Agora Ou Nunca Mais” (which translates as “Now or Never”) is a track from Brazilian vocalist/instrumentalist/composer Ana Mazzotti’s 1974 album Ninguem Vai Me Segurar. This was one of only two albums she recorded, along with her 1977 self-titled LP, before her life was tragically cut short in her mid-thirties after losing her battle with cancer. While they have remained relatively obscure outside of their country of origin, both albums are regarded by Brazilian funk aficionados as gems of samba-jazz, lysergic funk and trippy Bossa Nova. Far Out Recordings wlll be releasing them in brand new remastered versions on vinyl, CD and digitally from September 13, for the benefit of a whole new generation of listeners.
Featured photo by Michelle Shiers.
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