JAZZIZ.com takes a look at 10 of the hottest – and sweetest – new jazz…
JOE LOVANO & DAVE DOUGLAS - Scandal (Greenleaf Music)
Release date: April 6
Scandal is the second album by the quintet co-led by trumpeter Dave Douglas and saxophonist Joe Lovano. It follows Sound Prints: Live at Monterey Jazz Festival, released in 2015, and marks the first time the pair has recorded a full studio album of material together. "The language of our playing has certainly evolved," Douglas says in an official statement. "The whole concept of playing in dialogue, the collective spirit, the sharing of different roles, has grown with each successive concert and tour."
KRISTJAN RANDALU, BEN MONDER, MARKKU OUNASKARI - Absence (ECM Records)
Release date: April 6
Estonian pianist Kristjan Randalu, once described by Herbie Hancock as a "dazzling piano player," makes his ECM debut with Absence. The album finds him playing in a trio alongside guitarist Ben Monder and drummer Markku Ounaskari, performing what is described by the label through their website as "rigorous-yet-lyrical music."
PETER ERSKINE & THE DR. UM BAND - On Call (Fuzzy Music)
Release date: April 6
On Call is a double-CD package comprised of six studio tracks and five concert cuts. The album marks veteran drummer Peter Erskine's third album with the Dr. Um Band, which features keyboardist and arranger John Beasley, saxophonist Bob Sheppard, and bassist Benjamin Shepherd. It was partly inspired by jazz fusion band Weather Report, and its cover evokes that of their 1980 album, Night Passage.
THE NELS CLINE 4 - Currents, Constellations (Blue Note Records)
Release date: April 13
Guitarist Nels Cline debuts a new band with the release of Currents, Constellations. The Nels Cline 4 builds upon Cline's collaboration with guitarist Julian Lage by adding bassist Scott Colley and drummer Tom Rainey to the mix. The new album sees Cline embrace a sparser but edgier instrumentation, which according to a press release "serves the adventurous thrust of the music, brimming as it does with raw energy and wild beauty."
THE NEW MASTERSOUNDS - Renewable Energy (One Note Records)
Release date: April 13
After almost two decades of activity, British four-piece band and contemporary jazz-funk purveyors, The New Mastersounds, are set to release a new album, Renewable Energy. Recorded in two separate sessions, one in New Orleans and the other in Denver, Renewable Energy sees the band expand on their template while still providing plenty of their trademark sound.
ROBIN McKELLE - Melodic Canvas (Doxie Records)
Release date: April 20
Melodic Canvas is the seventh album by songwriter and vocalist Robin McKelle. For it, she has sought a more acoustic vibe with a focus on percussion to allow the subtleties of her voice to shine. An insightful storyteller, McKelle's new songs explore such delicate themes as immigration, religion, and misogyny.
DAVE LIEBMAN - Fire (Jazzline)
Release date: April 20
Saxophonist Dave Liebman put together an all-star cast for Fire: percussionist Jack DeJohnette, bassist Dave Holland, and pianist Kenny Werner. All four have shaped modern jazz during the 1970s and 1980s, and continue to do so today. Fire is a unique and innovative album, recorded in 2016, and released in heavyweight 180gram, gatefold sleeve, and extensive liner notes by Liebman.
HALIE LOREN - From the Wild Sky (Justin Time Records)
Release date: April 27
From the Wild Sky features ten new songs written by Halie Loren and a cover of the Roberto Livi song that names the album. Many of the tracks featured in it were inspired by travel, while the album was recorded and mixed in London and New York, and funded by pledges from Loren's fans worldwide through her successful Kickstarter campaign.
KAT EDMONSON - Old Fashioned Gal (Spinnerette Records)
Release date: April 27
Songwriter and vocalist Kat Edmonson wrote, produced, and even directed and starred in the video of the title track of her upcoming album, Old Fashioned Gal. NPR describes it as "a handsome showcase for her songwriting, which has grown ever more confident over the last decade, nostalgic in tone but clear-eyed in the application."
VAN MORRISON & JOEY DE FRANCESCO - You're Driving Me Crazy (Legacy Recordings)
Release date: April 27
Veteran singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist Van Morrison's 39th LP will be his third new album to come out in seven months. You're Driving Me Crazy is the result of a collaboration with organist, trumpeter, and composer Joey DeFrancesco, and includes a mix of original songs and cuts pulled from the jazz, blues, and great American songbook.