The Week in Jazz is your roundup of new and noteworthy stories from the jazz…
Lost Charles Mingus Live Performance Due Out Record Store Day: Resonance will release The Lost Album from Ronnie Scott's, a never-before-heard 1972 club performance by bassist/composer Charles Mingus' powerful sextet, recorded at London's fabled jazz venue. It will first be released as a 3-LP Record Store Day offering with a deluxe booklet on April 23, a day after what would have been the jazz giant's 100th birthday, and will be issued as a 3-CD set and digital download on April 29.
Brandee Younger Captures "Unrest" in New Single: Harpist/composer Brandee Younger recently released "Unrest," a new two-track digital single reflecting upon the uprising against police brutality and racial violence. The single follows her major-label debut album, Somewhere Different, and is released via Impulse! It was made possible by a grant from the Jazz Coalition and recorded at Van Gelder Studios. Listen to it via the player below.
https://open.spotify.com/album/6QaENtltIJqJg14EvwvtfO?si=dWEV-_wGScm2g_hTj-UtXQ
Ethan Iverson Discusses New Album with Don Was: Pianist/composer Ethan Iverson spoke about his Blue Note debut album, Every Note Is True, on the latest episode of "First Look" with label president Don Was. Watch it via the player below. Every Note Is True documents Iverson's engaging and evocative date with a masterful new trio with bassist Larry Grenadier and legendary drummer Jack DeJohnette, and we mentioned it in our list of new albums released this month (February 2022) that you need to know about. Order it HERE.
https://youtu.be/Aj8JCkxUQdU
Studio Cast Recording of Witness Uganda Musical Released: Sony Masterworks has released the Studio Cast Recording of Witness Uganda (An American Musical). The record features 24 songs from the musical envisioned by Matt Gould and Griffing Matthews, as performed by Matthews and a star-studded cast. The musical, inspired by true events, documents Matthews' journey on a volunteer mission to Uganda, during which he builds an unlikely bond with a ragtag group of teenage students. Order the album here.
https://open.spotify.com/album/7rWdiSjY8poMBaJHXkLXil?si=sXCBxsrFQVK6Td3W-9RA7Q
2022 Blues Music Awards Nominees Announced: The Blues Foundation has announced this year's Blues Music Awards nominees. Keb' Mo', Tommy Castro, Tom Hambridge and Sugaray Rayford are among the diverse group of nominees. Click here for a full list. Winners will be released at a Gala Ceremony, which will take place on May 5 at Memphis’ Renasant Convention Center. The award ceremony will be preceded by a Blues Hall of Fame induction ceremony on May 4 at Memphis’ Halloran Centre at the Orpheum.
Stro Elliot, Black & Loud: James Brown Reimagined by Stro Elliot (Urban Legends/UMe): Multi-instrumentalist/producer Stro Elliot offers ten remixes of classic James Brown songs on Black & Loud: James Brown Reimagined by Stro Elliot, infusing inspiration from several different genres. "There are genres and subgenres that wouldn't exist without him," says The Roots' member via a press release. "This [album] is a dissection and celebration of that." Black & Loud was released on February 4. We included it in our list of ten new albums released this month (February 2022) that you need to know about. Order it HERE.
https://open.spotify.com/album/4ysy6umDtSHhJ84ebHElVu?si=sEMJ5E5iSXG6ETjNdiVe3Q
JAS Announces June Experience Lineup, June 23-26: Jazz Aspen Snowmass (JAS) has announced the initial lineup of artists and venues for the JAS Experience, which will take place June 23-26 in downtown Aspen. The Experience will consist of multiple shows of diverse music and genres, which will take place at ten different venues. Confirmed artists include Kamasi Washington, the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, The Baylor Project, Christian McBride and Benny Green, among others. More here.
8-Hour Performance of Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight" at San Francisco's DAWN: Thelonious Monk's revered ballad, "Round Midnight," will be performed in spectacular style by guitarist/composer John Schott and an all-star group as a continuous eight-hour exegesis on June 4 in San Francisco. The concert, which will also be streamed online, will be the centerpiece of DAWN, a bold reimagining of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot by the national arts and culture nonprofit Reboot. More here.
https://youtu.be/IrAfjW5qiyo
Stevie Wonder Celebration Detroit's The Carr Center at DSA: On February 26, Detroit's The Carr Center at DSA will present a dynamic live concert tribute to Stevie Wonder as part of its Black History Month programming. "To Stevie With Love" reimagines the music of the Maestro through the lens of the New York jazz scene, under the direction of Terri Lyne Carrington and with musical arrangements by Kevin Harris. The performance will also feature several special guests, including Grégoire Maret, Michael Mayo, Keyanna Hutchinson and more. Tickets here.
Featured photo courtesy of Resonance Records.
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