If you’re looking for some great new music to discover this weekend, look no further than our weekly New Release Cheat Sheet.
New Music and Videos
Pasquale Grasso, "A Night in Tunisia"
Guitar virtuoso Pasquale Grasso pays tribute to jazz legends Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie on Be-Bop!, his sixth album for Sony Masterworks. The record will be released on June 17 and is part of our list of ten albums released this month that you need to know. The record kicks off in an exhilarating fashion with Grasso's take on Gillespie's quintessential composition, "A Night in Tunisia," where the guitarist achieves an astonishing balance of technical wizardry and swing. Here, he is backed by his working trio of bassist Ari Roland and drummer Keith Balla.
https://youtu.be/o8oHBvNZnv0
Nikolai Mishchenko, "Dawn"
Nikolai Mishchenko captures the feeling of waking up early in the morning to catch the mesmerizing view of the sunrise on his latest single, "Dawn." "No matter how hard life could be this minute, it is always valuable to take a moment to enjoy the surrounding beauty of the world and its immediate innocence," says the pianist via a statement. The track also introduces the band that will be featured on Mishchenko's upcoming album, with Gregory Groover Jr. on tenor saxophone, Amir Lee on alto saxophone, Ilya Blazh on drums and Paul Reinhold on bass.
https://open.spotify.com/track/3Pgyr5cQ75Md0pPTp3DXWb?si=2a25218ea23d4a91
Kresten Osgood, "Når Lyset Bryder Frem"
Kresten Osgood is best-known as one of Denmark's most prolific and influential drummers. However, his upcoming full-length album finds him putting his sticks aside to deliver his first record as a Hammond player, showcasing a deep understanding and respect of the organ trio format. "This is an album that I have been getting ready to make for over 25 years," he explains via a statement. Kresten Osgood Plays The Organ For You, released today via April Records, is part of our list of ten albums out this month that you need to know about.
https://youtu.be/Zs4ekqTzE3M
New Albums
Fantastic Negrito, White Jesus Black Problems (Storefront)
Musician/composer/activist Fantastic Negrito releases today White Jesus Black Problems, his most ambitious project to date, via his Storefront Records imprint. The genre-defying album is accompanied by an entire companion film set to the music, which is based on the true story of his seventh-generation white Scottish grandmother living in a common-law marriage with his seventh-generation African American enslaved grandfather in 1750s colonial Virginia.
https://open.spotify.com/album/4C87UAmhJ3nhATyp9nCI4i?si=X9EBQj2hRbGTORwIw3NI9g
Bryan Carter, I Believe (La Reserve/Bandstand Presents)
Drummer/vocalist/composer Bryan Carter describes his upcoming semi-autobiographical coming out and coming of age LP as "Black American music through the lens of a jazz musician. I Believe, released today, features powerhouse performances across a series of original compositions and carefully chosen revivals.
https://open.spotify.com/album/0lUFMoSUv23RI0gURnrhA2?si=HfOx-5KcSGS0Il3cfvcGFw
Lettuce, Unify (Round Hill)
Unify captures the raw energy of a prolific post-lockdown reunion by explosive funk sextet Lettuce. Featuring wildly funky instrumentals and plenty of surprises, including a Bootsy Collins guest spot, this brand new 16-track recording also finds Lettuce, arguably, at its tightest ever, completing a loose trilogy of records that kicked off with 2019's Elevate and continued with 2020's Resonate.
https://open.spotify.com/album/0b7YzSdS2YIQp1uuPL05k5?si=xaBbJuR0SLOL60bmvXQq-g
Featured photo: Stefania Curto.
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