If you’re looking for some great new music to discover this weekend, look no further than our weekly New Release Cheat Sheet. This week, a new animated video for a Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald memorable holiday-themed classic, Maya Delilah reimagines a Neil Young composition and pays tribute to Cassandra Wilson, new albums by The Comet Is Coming and Makaya McCraven and more!
New Music and Videos
Maya Delilah, "Harvest Moon"
Singer/guitarist Maya Delilah offers a sublime cover of "Harvest Moon," a Neil Young song that was recorded by Cassandra Wilson on her acclaimed 1995 Blue Note album, New Moon Daughter. This is one of the tracks from the second instalment of Blue Note's Re:imagined, which features new takes on classic tracks from the label's fabled archive by some of the hottest acts of today's UK jazz scene. Blue Note Re:imagined II will be released on September 30 and we included it in our list of ten albums released this month that you need to know about.
https://youtu.be/Q-YMJwfBEA4
Helena Kay's KIM Trio, "20/20"
Helena Kay will release her new KIM Trio album,
Golden Sands, on October 7 via Sulis Records. The album, which also features pianist Peter Johnstone, is a reflection inspired by the group's formative years on New York and London's vibrant jazz scene and is made up entirely of original compositions, including 20/20, which you can listen to via the player below. "I wrote 20/20 at the beginning of 2020 when I was living in New York City," Kay tells us in a statement. "I'd had some lessons with some of my favourite saxophonists; Melissa Aldana, Chris Cheek and Dayna Stephens, and I think their influence is audible in this tune."
https://youtu.be/NBC9n3_3e9Q
Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm"
Verve has shared a new animated video for Louis Armstrong's take on "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" with one of his favorite vocal partners, Ella Fitzgerald. The video announces the release of Louis Wishes You A Cool Yule, due out October 28. This is the first-ever official Christmas album from Satchmo, featuring nearly all his holiday offerings, from his 1950s Decca singles to duets with Fitzgerald and Velma Middleton. The video for "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" was hand-drawn by director/animator JonJon in his distinctive "line and shape" style.
https://youtu.be/V4BsSAsuLdU
New Albums
The Comet Is Coming, Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam (Impulse!)
Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam is the new album of transportive music by the acclaimed British electronic jazz trio The Comet Is Coming. Created over a four-day session at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios, the record is described via an official press release as “an expression of unity and magical alchemy that amplifies the powers of Danalogue, Betamax and Shabaka.”
https://open.spotify.com/album/1XPsJnIVMjOt04rczMWVO4?si=qfAV7ALcTcKDbnUy5PH_GA
Alina Bzhezhinska & HipHarpCollective, Reflections (BBE)
London-based, Ukrainian artist Alina Bzhezhinska, a.k.a. AlinaHipHarp, releases today a brand new album with her HipHarpCollective on September 23. Reflections finds her creating a unique sound on the harp with layered effects and electronics, and combines original works and covers to pay homage to some of jazz and hip-hop's greatest innovators.
https://open.spotify.com/album/7vm57UmS0tpc8zaAV0rSUR?si=lw07GttXTyqpyVilDVpRRA
Makaya McCraven, In These Times (International Anthem/Nonesuch/XL)
Producer/musician Makaya McCraven continues to collapse space and transcend boundaries with his new album,
In These Times. Over seven years in the making, this epic and expansive record balances self-expression with broadly communicative odd-meter original compositions, drawing on several influences and featuring contributions from over a dozen musicians.
https://open.spotify.com/album/6OPYeQwXhmkcaSuh6fUTXA?si=uqP1xPt5QYa2nUDJzwHlEg
Featured image courtesy of Verve Records.
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