by Sebastien Helary, NextBop Brothers Zaccai and Luques Curtis are back with a new album commissioned by Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works. Algorithm, coming August 23rd to the brothers’ own Truth Revolution Records, builds upon The Curtis Brothers Band’s 2012 debut Completion of Proof, drawing inspiration equally from mathematical concepts as well as from some of … Read More
by Nate Chinen, WBGO Chase Baird, “Wait and See” Tenor saxophonist Chase Baird has been most widely heard in a pair of dynamic bands: Migration, led by drummer and composer Antonio Sánchez; and Venture, formed by vibraphonist Mark Sherman and drummer Mike Clark. But with the release of A Life Between, the second album under his name, Baird … Read More
by Sebastien Herlary, Nextbop Israeli born, NYC-based pianist and composer Daniel Meron, a Berklee College of Music graduate who studied under the tutelage of Danilo Perez, Hal Crook, and Joe Lovano, is set to release Embracing Wild, his fourth album as a leader, August 2nd via Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit Records. A global celebration of sorts, rooted … Read More
by Matt Micucci, Jazziz Catherine Russell, “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby” JAZZIZ presents the premiere of the video for Catherine Russell’s own interpretation of Louis Jordan’s classic song “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby,” included on her latest album, Alone Together, which finds the acclaimed vocalist searching for the … Read More
by Nate Chinen, WBGO Ben Wolfe, “Blind Seven” (Featuring Joel Ross and Immanuel Wilkins) Ben Wolfe, the ever-tasteful, always swinging bassist, lost his father last year. As a tribute (and no doubt as part of his grieving process), he decided to make an album, calling it Fatherhood. Due out on Aug. 30, it’s an earnest and often beautifully … Read More
by Sebastien Helary, NextBop Saxophonist Chase Baird’s career has been flourishing rapidly as of late. Drafted in drummer Antonio Sanchez’s Migration group which released the critically-acclaimed Lines In The Sand last year on CAM Jazz, the young Juilliard graduate also co-leads the band Venture, alongside drummer Mike Clark, vibraphonist Mark Sherman and electric bassist Felix Pastorius, with … Read More
by Sebastien Helary, NextBop The New Orleans group The Session was started in 2011 as a weekly get-together by four friends with the simple objective to get better at making music. Bassist Jasen Weaver, trumpeter Stephen Lands, pianist Andrew Mcgowan, and drummer Darrian Douglas, honed their chops as a collective and kept developing their unique … Read More
by Chris Rizik, Soul Tracks Brandee Younger does something that is unusual but compelling: She takes her harp to places where few others go, including jazz, soul and hip-hop, and is celebrated for the results. Brandee is now releasing her new disc, Soul Awakening, a surprising six years after she recorded it. This collection of recently unearthed … Read More
Sébastien Hélary, NextBop Drummer, social justice advocate, and NYC jazz staple Curtis Nowosad has a monumental new album, his third has a leader, coming June 14th to the Sessionheads United label. The eponymous release, unapologetically focused on social justice, features five originals, four of which are named after notable activists of the past and present, … Read More
Stephanie Jones, Downbeat Harpist and composer Brandee Younger often faces a curiously inexhaustible question: What kind of music do you play? And she’s given it a lot of thought: “I dislike [genre labels] for a number of reasons. [What I play is] such a combination of different things and styles that are mixed together. It … Read More
