The Week in Jazz is your roundup of new and noteworthy stories from the jazz world. It’s a one-stop destination for the music news you need to know. Let’s take it from the top.
Noteworthy
Ron Carter Documentary Soundtrack Album Out Now: German-based record label IN+OUT Records released the original soundtrack of Finding the Right Notes on vinyl, CD and digital platforms. Finding the Right Notes is a two-hour major documentary on jazz legend Ron Carter. The film, directed by Peter Schnall, premiered last month on PBS.
Carlos Santana and Michael Shrieve on JAZZIZ Not What You Think Podcast: Carlos Santana and Michael Shrieve recently discussed Santana’s seminal 1972 album, Caravansarai, in our latest JAZZIZ Not What You Think podcast. Caravansarai marked the band’s move away from the more popular rock format of their early records towards a more contemplative and experimental sound via a program including all but three instrumental tracks. Listen to the conversation via the player below.
Bing Crosby Classic Holiday Hits Reimagined as Chilled Out Lofi Remixes: Seven yuletide classics from vocalist Bing Crosby have been reimagined by produced LOUALLDAY for Christmas in Lofi, available to stream now via uCHILL/UMe. The collection features chilled-out lofi remixes of songs like “White Christmas,” “The Little Drummer Boy” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”
Peggy Lee Album Gets 50th Anniversary Treatment: Capitol/UMe have released the 50th-anniversary edition of Peggy Lee’s Norma Deloris Egstrom from Jamestown, North Dakota, originally released in 1972. This is the Deluxe Edition of the long-out-of-print fan favorite recording, including the ten original master tracks, plus seven bonus tracks and an Oscar-nominated Best Original Song from the same era.
New and Upcoming Albums
Patricia Brennan, More Touch (Pyroclastic): More Touch is the powerful new album by vibraphonist/marimbist/composer Patricia Brennan and her wholly unique quartet with bassist Kim Cass, drummer Marcus Gilmore and percussionist Mauricio Herrera. Released on November 18, the record expands brilliantly on the singular vocabulary showcased on Brennan’s previous works as a bandleader, employing an expansive sonic palette that blurs the line between progressive jazz and contemporary classical music.
Aaron Seeber, First Move (Cellar): First Move is rising drummer Aaron Seeber’s recording debut as a bandleader. This vivacious live quintet recording, showcasing his singular sound on drums and expert arranging of timeless classics, features his frequent collaborators Warren Wolf, Tim Green, Sullivan Fortner and Ugonna Okegwo.
Sarah Bernstein, VEER Quartet (New Focus): VEER Quartet is violinist/composer Sarah Bernstein’s new eclectic record, a dynamic blend of composition and free improvisation blending chamber music and jazz. The album features Bernstein alongside violinist Sana Nagano, violist Leonor Falcon and cellist Nick Jozwiak.
Vadim Neselovskyi, Odesa: A Musical Walk Through a Legendary City (Sunnyside): Ukrainian pianist/composer Vadim Neselovskyi reminds people of the beauty and cultural legacy of his native country via his new solo recording, Odesa: A Musical Walk Through a Legendary City. Released on August 17, the album blends autobiography and actuality via a program of musical portraits of Odesa, his hometown on the Black Sea.
Live Music and Festival News
Emma Smith Celebrates New Festive Record at London’s Pizza Express, December 10: Jazz vocalist Emma Smith celebrates the release of Snowbound with a concert performance at London’s Pizza Express Jazz Club on December 10. Tickets here. Snowbound is a new festive record by Smith, featuring a stellar cast of collaborators on a set of renditions of some of the lesser-known vintage Christmas classics and familiar favorites.
Russell Gunn and Special Guests Celebrate 60th-Anniversary of Amiri Baraka’s Blues People at The Apollo: Harlem’s Apollo will present seven newly commissioned works by renowned trumpeter Russell Gunn to honor the 60th-anniversary of Blues People: Negro Music in White America by writer/poet/activist Amiri Baraka. The Blues and Its People will premiere on February 18, 2023, and will feature seven musical works performed by Gunn and his band, The Royal Krunk Jaz Orkestra, with special guests including Jazzmeia Horn, Stefon Harris, Craig Harris, Oliver Lake, Weedie Braimah, Davell Crawford and Jessica Care Moore. Tickets here.
Svetlana at New York’s Blue Note on Christmas Day: Jazz vocalist Svetlana and her band, The New York Collective, will take to the stage of New York City’s Blue Note Jazz Club on Christmas Day for a special holiday brunch program presented by WBGO. The show will feature beloved festive classics, jazz arrangements of modern pop standards and Svetlana’s charismatic “feel good” originals. Tickets here.
David Chesky Trio Reinterpret The Great European Songbook at Jazz at Lincoln Center, December 6: Pianist/composer David Chesky will reinterpret Bach, Beethoven and Chopin in the key of jazz in a trio performance with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Billy Drummond at Jazz at Lincoln Center on December 6. Tickets here. The performance follows the release of Chesky’s new jazz trio recording, The Great European Songbook, which he talked more about in our recent podcast interview and was released via The Audiophile Society.
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