Here are five more recent jazz releases worth giving a listen to:
1. Come Sunday by Charlie Haden (EmArcy – January 10, 2012) CLICK HERE TO BUY
Two jazz legends team up for an unforgettable and moving album of classic spirituals. Bassist Charlie Haden and the late pianist Hank Jones, follow up their 1995 classic duet recording Steal Away, with this album of great songs of power, including Duke Ellington s famous Come Sunday. Come Sunday was a last collaboration between these two longtime friends and colleagues. Hank Jones died in 2010 at the age of 91, shortly after completing this album. Jones is considered the consummate jazz pianist and renowned as a soloist, accompanist, composer and arranger. In a career spanning over 70 years, Hank Jones worked with nearly every major jazz musician from Benny Goodman and Ella Fitzgerald to Diana Krall.
2. Further Explorations by Chick Corea/Eddie Gomez/Paul Motian (Concord Jazz – January 17, 2012) CLICK HERE TO BUY
The contributions of pianist, composer, arranger and bandleader Bill Evans to the language and appreciation of jazz continue to have a profound influence on musicians. Join master pianist Chick Corea as he leads original Evans alumni – bassist Eddie Gomez and the late drummer Paul Motian – on Further Explorations, a two-CD live set of 19 tracks. The spirit of Evans comes alive thanks to the vibrant simpatico shared by these three master musicians.
3. Conversations with Christian by Christian McBride (Mack Avenue – November 8, 2011) CLICK HERE TO BUY
Christian McBride is a loquacious raconteur in addition to his finger-busting bass skills, though make no mistake about it- the only talk on this release is the musical kind two instruments make. Christian can converse with the best of them, as his Sirius/XM show will attest though these conversations sit him down in the studio with a diverse array of guests for unexpected and often amazing results. The resulting duets lay bare skill and emotion in the visceral tradition of real jazz improvisation.
4. The Monk Project by Jimmy Owens (IPO – January 3, 2012) CLICK HERE TO BUY
NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Owens debut as a leader on IPO features the legendary trumpeter & flugelhornist leading a stellar septet on a program of uniquely original arrangements of Thelonious Monk compositions that are deeply steeped in the blues. Jimmy Owens will receive the A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy. The A.B. Spellman award is special recognition as an NEA Jazz Master. Longtime colleague and fellow NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron, well known for playing Monk s music with the group Sphere, heads the rhythm section. Robin Kelley, who wrote the prize-winning biography Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original, contributes extensive liner notes.
5. Black Radio by Robert Glasper Experiment (Blue Note – February 28, 2012) CLICK HERE TO BUY
On February 28, 2012, Robert Glasper Experiment will release Black Radio (Blue Note Records/EMI), a future landmark album that boldly stakes out new musical territory and transcends any notion of genre, drawing from jazz, hip hop, R&B and rock, but refusing to be pinned down by any one tag. The first full-length album from the GRAMMY-nominated keyboardist’s electric Experiment band—saxist Casey Benjamin, bassist Derrick Hodge, and drummer Chris Dave—Black Radio also features many of Glasper’s famous friends from the spectrum of urban music, seamlessly incorporating appearances from a jaw-dropping roll call of special guests including Erykah Badu, Bilal, Lupe Fiasco, Lalah Hathaway, Shafiq Husayn (Sa-Ra), KING, Ledisi, Chrisette Michele, Mos Def, Musiq Soulchild, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Stokley Williams (Mint Condition).
Now in Stores (Late May, June, and July)
“Now in Stores” – 5/16/2010 to 5/22/2010
“Now in Stores” – 5/2/2010 to 5/8/2010
“Now in Stores” – 4/25/2010 to 5/1/2010
“Now in Stores” – 4/18/2010 t0 4/24/2010
“Now In Stores” – 5 Noteworthy Jazz Albums Released this Week (4/11/2010-4/17/10)