Tag Archives: Jamaal Baptiste

Michael Olatuja – Lagos Pepper Soup

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Title: Lagos Pepper Soup 
Artist: Michael Olatuja 
Label: Whirlwind Recordings 
Formats: LP, Digital 
Release date: June 12, 2020 

 

Bassist and composer Michael Olatuja has a unique musical background. Born in London, raised in Lagos, Nigeria, and currently based in New York, he has certainly traversed many continents and engaged with various musical genres across the African diaspora. Olatuja’s third album Lagos Pepper Soup, released eleven years after his Speak (2009) and nine years after The Promise (2011), maintains his unique musical style that blends West African Afrobeats and jazz with the addition of a cinematic touch. According to Olatuja, Lagos Pepper Soup was envisioned as an album that would “fuse this mix of Afrobeat and jazz as if it was a Hollywood film soundtrack.” 

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Spanish Harlem Orchestra – The Latin Jazz Project

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Title: The Latin Jazz Project 
Artist: Spanish Harlem Orchestra 
Label: ArtistShare 
Formats: CD (limited ed.), Digital 
Release date: May 22, 2020 

 

The Spanish Harlem Orchestra (SHO) has become a household name for salsa lovers and Latin jazz enthusiasts over the years. Founded in the early 2000s by bandleader Oscar Hernández and producer Aaron Levinson, SHO has accumulated several Grammy nominations and three Grammy Awards for their albums Across 110th Street (2004), Viva La Tradicion (2010), and Anniversary (2018). Known for their “dedication to the sounds of the barrio (Spanish Harlem NYC)” and their “mission to keep the musical legacy of salsa dura (hard salsa) alive,” SHO has become one of the standard representations of the New York style of salsa music.  

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Aruán Ortiz – Inside Rhythmic Falls

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Title: Inside Rhythmic Falls 
Artist: Aruán Ortiz 
Label: Intakt 
Formats: CD, Digital 
Release date: March 20, 2020 

 

Many artists are known for expressing their cultural identity through music, but the issue most grapple with is how to articulate their own cultural experiences while also evoking the musical traditions of the people. For pianist and composer Aruán Ortiz, the answer lies in the culturally relevant storytelling abilities of the artist. His newest release, Inside Rhythmic Falls, aims to capture “the symphony of everyday life” in his birthplace, the Oriente Province of Cuba, while telling the story of the people and his Afro-Cuban heritage. Joined by legendary drummer Andrew Cyrille, percussionist Mauricio Herrera, spoken word artist Marlène Ramírez-Cancio and narrator Emeline Michel, Ortiz utilizes the changüí by substituting guitar for his piano in the guitar-and-drum music style, while “reconstructing and reconfiguring” the musical aesthetics to uplift the Afro-Cuban voices that were historically repressed, silenced and/or “hidden.” 

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Judith Olson – Urban Counterpoint: The Piano Music of Ed Bland

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Title: Urban Counterpoint: The Piano Music of Ed Bland
Artist: Judith Olson
Label: Cambria
Formats: CD, Digital
Release date: February 7, 2020

 

Urban Counterpoint: The Piano Music of Ed Bland is the second release of the music of the late Chicago composer Ed Bland by Cambria Master Recordings. Bland’s instrumental compositions were the focus of an earlier album, Urban Classical: The Music of Ed Bland (1994). However, the focus of Urban Counterpoint is on Bland’s piano works. Performed and interpreted by pianist Judith Olson, the album explores his genre-blending compositions which incorporate “a broad range of textures and diverse rhythms” from the early 20th-century Western European music canon as well as jazz, gospel, and West African rhythms.

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Music From and Inspired by “Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool”

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Title: Music From and Inspired by “Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool”
Artist: Miles Davis
Label: Columbia/Legacy
Formats: CD, Digital
Release date: February 21, 2020

 

Documentarian Stanley Nelson re-introduces us to the late and great jazz trumpeter extraordinaire Miles Davis on the album Music From and Inspired by “Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool,” a Film by Stanley Nelson. Davis’ extensive music career spanned over forty years, culminating in eight Grammy Awards, over thirty Grammy nominations, over fifty albums, plus collaborations with major jazz luminaries such as Billy Eckstine, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, John Coltrane, and Wayne Shorter, among many others. Using spoken and musical selections from the Grammy-nominated soundtrack from his documentary, Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, Nelson provides a concise musical account of Davis’ evolution. Listeners have an opportunity to reflect on his seminal recordings, beginning in the late 1940s all the way to his mid-1980s comeback with Tutu (1986), while soundbites interspersed between tracks by music icons such as Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Heath, Gil Evans, Carlos Santana, and Marcus Miller further illuminate Davis’ career.

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Sérgio Mendes – In the Key of Joy

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Title: In the Key of Joy
Artist: Sérgio Mendes
Label: Concord
Formats: CD, LP, Digital
Release date: February 21, 2020

 

Several names come to mind when discussing the early progenitors of bossa nova and Latin-pop music, but one individual stands out for his musical contributions. That individual is none other than composer, arranger, vocalist, and pianist extraordinaire Sérgio Mendes. Known for his “infectious spirit of joy” and his style that blends together “classic Brazilian, jazz, and pop sounds,” Mendes’ albums and collaborations have always been at the cutting-edge of Latin music.

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Christian McBride – The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons

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Title: The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons
Artist: Christian McBride
Label: Mack Avenue
Formats: CD, MP3
Release date: February 7, 2020

 

Christian McBride’s The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons is a tribute to four renowned African Americans: Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. According to McBride, this album is meant as “a clear-eyed yet optimistic look at where our society has come from and where it is hopefully headed.” The four narrators who portray these icons include poet and author Sonia Sanchez as Rosa Parks, actor Wendell Pierce as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., actor Vondie Curtis-Hall as Malcolm X, and actor Dion Graham as Muhammad Ali. They are supported by a phenomenal cast of vocalists and instrumentalists such as Alicia Olatuja (vocals), Steve Wilson (saxophone), Freddie Hendricks (trumpet), Terreon Gully (drums), among many others. These artists coalesce into a spectacular fusion of jazz, gospel, funk, and Afro-Cuban rhythms.

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Jeremy Pelt – The Art of Intimacy, Vol. 1

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Title: The Art of Intimacy, Vol. 1
Artist: Jeremy Pelt
Label: HighNote
Formats: CD, Digital
Release date: January 24, 2020

 

The Art of Intimacy, Vol. 1 is the perfect album for Valentine’s Day season. Jazz trumpeter Jeremy Pelt takes us on a journey through songs expressing tenderness and endearment, while also performing less commonly known standards with his trio. Accompanied by pianist George Cables and bassist Peter Washington, Pelt “pours some old wine into new bottles” as he explores romantic classics like “Always on My Mind” and “I’ll Never Stop Loving You,” and sentiments of love on songs like “I’ve Just Seen Her,” “I’ll Never Stop Loving You,” and “While You Are Gone.”  Also included is Pelt’s original composition “Love Is Simple,” and “Little Girl Blue,” a song mostly associated with Nina Simone’s 1958 debut album. Jazz journalist Michael J. West writes, “the snapshot on display here makes no bones about its terms of engagement…If Pelt and company are successful, this music might have you practicing the art of intimacy on your own.” The Art of Intimacy, Vol. 1 is a must have for all you lovers out there!

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Delfeayo Marsalis & Uptown Jazz Orchestra – Jazz Party

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Title: Jazz Party
Artist: Delfeayo Marsalis & Uptown Jazz Orchestra
Label: Troubadour Jass
Formats: CD, Digital
Release date: February 7, 2020

 

Prominent jazz trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis returns with his seventh studio album, Jazz Party, featuring his electrifying Uptown Jazz Orchestra (UJO). Arriving three years after Marsalis’ Kalamazoo (2017) and UJO’s Make America Great Again! (2016), Jazz Party weaves together “modernized twists on New Orleans songbook gems and musical traditions, and swinging, groove-infused homages to the contributions of modern jazz masters.” The album includes original compositions and arrangements by Marsalis and others, while portraying the high-spirited character of UJO’s live performances at the Snug Harbor in New Orleans. Also featured are guest artists such as vocalist Tonya Boyd-Cannon (semi-finalist on The Voice), drummer Joe Dyson Jr., pianist Kyle Roussel, and saxophonist Roger Lewis (original member of UJO and co-founder of the Dirty Dozen Brass).

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Kenyatta Beasley Septet – Frank Foster Songbook

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Title: Frank Foster Songbook
Artist: Kenyatta Beasley Septet
Label: Art Vs Transit
Formats: CD, Digital
Release date: August 9, 2019

 

Trumpeter and composer Kenyatta Beasley’s tribute album, Frank Foster Songbook, celebrates his late mentor, the noted tenor and soprano saxophonist, composer and arranger Frank Benjamin Foster III. Recorded live over the course of two evenings at Brooklyn’s Jazz 966 club in 2013, this two-disc album captures the dynamic musical interactions between Beasley and his ensemble with guest appearances by Wynton Marsalis (trumpet), Mark Whitfield (guitar), Carla Cook (vocals), and Eric Wyatt (tenor saxophone). Beasley includes eleven songs covering a wide range of Foster’s original compositions. Continue reading →

The Fred Hersch Trio – 10 Years / 6 Discs

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Title: 10 Years / 6 Discs
Artist: The Fred Hersch Trio
Label: Palmetto Records
Formats: 6-CD Box Set, Digital
Release date: October 18, 2019

 

Palmetto’s new box set celebrates the 10-year anniversary of the acclaimed Fred Hersch Trio, featuring renowned jazz pianist and composer Fred Hersch with bassist John Hébert and drummer Eric McPherson. Though Hersch’s originals are prominent throughout this set, tracks also feature a deep exploration of compositions by jazz luminaries such as Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter, and Jaki Byard. The set includes all five albums released by the label: Whirl (2010), the two-disc Alive at the Vanguard (2012), Floating (2014), Sunday Night at the Vanguard (2016), and Live in Europe (2018). Additionally, an accompanying booklet features liner notes written by Hersch and a forward by award-winning author and jazz historian Ted Gioia. On the whole, 10 Years / 6 Discs is an enjoyable set for jazz lovers, and a great introduction to listeners unfamiliar with Hersch’s artistry. Continue reading →

James Brown – Live at Home with His Bad Self

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Title: Live at Home with His Bad Self
Artist: James Brown
Label: Polydor/Republic
Formats: CD, LP, Digital
Release date: October 25, 2019

 

This year celebrates the 50th anniversary of James Brown’s homecoming concert in Augusta, Georgia’s Bell Auditorium on October 1, 1969. Live at Home with His Bad Self captures this historic performance by the legendary Soul Brother No. 1 and the James Brown Orchestra with occasional dialogue by Brown and emcee Maceo Parker. Intended to “attract notoriety” to his hometown, Brown “decided to record this local concert and commemorate it with a live album” for release during the Christmas season of 1969. Unfortunately, the two-disc album was shelved for various reasons. While some selections were issued on previous compilations, Live at Home with His Bad Self finally includes the concert in its entirety from start to finish, just in time for the 2019 holiday season. Continue reading →

Roberto Fonseca – Yesun

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Title: Yesun
Artist: Roberto Fonseca
Label: Mack Avenue
Formats: CD, MP3, LP
Release date: October 18, 2019

 

Grammy-nominated Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca, known for experimenting with African and diasporic genres, offers his eleventh solo album, Yesun. On his previous releases, Yo (2013) and At Home: Live in Marciac (2014), we heard Fonseca’s use of diverse musical styles to express his artistic voice. Yesun retains this sense of taking “more risks, breaking new ground,” as he situates his music—and the music of Cuba—in an ongoing inter-diasporic musical dialogue. The 13-track album features Fonseca’s long-standing trio, the prominent Cuban female a cappella group Gema 4, acclaimed trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf, rising Cuban rapper Danay Suárez, and Grammy-winning saxophonist Joe Lovano. Continue reading →

Richie Goods – My Left Hand Man: A Tribute to Mulgrew Miller

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Title: My Left Hand Man: A Tribute to Mulgrew Miller
Artist: Richie Goods
Label: Richman Music
Formats: Digital
Release date: November 7, 2019

 

Bassist extraordinaire and bandleader Richie Goods’ new release, My Left Hand Man, is a phenomenal tribute album to his mentor, the late and great jazz pianist Mulgrew Miller. Joined by his band, The Goods Project, the album offers a collection of funk and R&B oriented arrangements of Miller’s tunes which, according to Goods, “aims to educate listeners about the late pianist’s eclectic taste and musical versatility.” As the youngest person to be inducted into the Pittsburgh Jazz Hall of Fame, Goods has had a prolific career performing and recording with major artists such as Whitney Houston, Lenny White, Brian McKnight, Common, Alicia Keys, and Chris Botti, among others. He draws upon this wealth of experience to breathe new life into Miller’s works. Continue reading →

Ramsey Lewis & Urban Knights – VII

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Title: VII
Artist: Ramsey Lewis & Urban Knights
Label: Ropeadope
Formats: CD, LP, Digital
Release date: September 27, 2019

 

Music industry iconic figure, legendary jazz pianist, and Chicago native Ramsey Lewis has released what is possibly his final album with the Urban Knights, VII, before embarking on his journey into retirement. Since his debut album, Ramsey Lewis and his Gentle-men of Swing (1956), Lewis has been a thriving force in the music industry as a successful artist and radio personality, producing countless record albums, and hosting his Legends of Jazz radio and television series. Along the way he has received three Grammy Awards and five gold records, not to mention recordings and collaborations with major music figures such as Nancy Wilson, Maurice White, Freddie Hubbard, Grover Washington Jr., Oliver Nelson, Benny Golson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and Tony Bennett, among many others. Continue reading →

Chick Corea Trio – Trilogy 2

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Title: Trilogy 2
Artist: Chick Corea Trio
Label: Concord Jazz
Formats: CD, Digital
Release date: October 4, 2019

 

 

Musician extraordinaire and jazz luminary Chick Corea returns to the stage with jazz giants Christian McBride and Brian Blade on his newest two-disc live recording, Trilogy 2. Released five years after his Trilogy (2014), which won two Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Instrumental Album and Best Improvised Jazz Solo for “Fingerprints,” Trilogy 2 comes as a welcome sequel and features Corea’s originals as well as jazz classics and standards from the American Songbook.  Continue reading →

James Carter Organ Trio – Live From Newport Jazz

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Title:  Live From Newport Jazz
Artist: James Carter Organ Trio
Label: Blue Note
Formats: CD, Digital
Release date: August 30, 2019

 

Saxophone virtuoso and Detroit native James Carter just released his Blue Note label debut, James Carter Organ Trio: Live From Newport Jazz. This album arrives nine years after the last album with his organ trio, At the Crossroads (2011), and his acclaimed orchestral collaboration with composer Roberto Sierra on Caribbean Rhapsody (2011). Carter’s recording of his live performance at the 2018 Newport Jazz festival explores the music of gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt from the perspective of Carter’s soul jazz, funk and R&B organ trio. Joined by longtime band members, Hammond B-3 organist Gerard Gibbs and drummer Alexander White, Carter takes us through an “exercise in musical transformation,” or as he says, “a willful attempt to urbanize Gypsy jazz, if you will.” Continue reading →

Jon Batiste – Anatomy of Angels

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Title: Anatomy of Angels
Artist: Jon Batiste
Label: Verve
Formats: CD, MP3, LP
Release date: August 2, 2019

 

Louisiana-born pianist and composer Jon Batiste returns with his newest release, Anatomy of Angels. The album includes song selections from his six-night residency at the Village Vanguard in New York City in the fall of 2018, and features a talented supporting group of musicians: saxophonists Tivon Pennicott and Patrick Bartley, trumpeters Giveton Gelin and Jon Lampley, percussionist and drummer Louis Cato, percussionist Nêgah Santos, drummer Joe Saylor, and guest vocalist Rachael Price. The five-track album demonstrates Batiste’s extensive knowledge of jazz performance aesthetics and pianistic capabilities, all while capturing the spontaneity of jazz musicians improvising in the moment. Continue reading →

Charnett Moffett – Bright New Day

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Title: Bright New Day
Artist: Charnett Moffett
Label: Motéma Music
Formats: CD, Digital
Release date: June 21, 2019

 

Bright New Day is the newest album by bass player extraordinaire, Charnett Moffett. Released just two years after his Music From Our Soul (2017), Bright New Day is his seventh album with Motéma Music and sixteenth album as front man and bandleader. Moffett’s remarkable resume includes performances and recordings with jazz luminaries such as Ornette Coleman, Tony Williams, Mulgrew Miller, Wallace Roney, Brandford and Wynton Marsalis, and Stanley Jordan, among others. His album features a great supporting cast which includes guitarist and founder of Motéma Music Jana Herzen, drummer Mark Whitfield Jr., keyboardist Brian Jackson, and violinist Scott Tixier. Continue reading →