by Nate Chinen, WBGO “Now Berliner is about to release a much-anticipated follow-up, Onyx, on JMI Recordings. Due out on July 22, it sports an illustrious ensemble with Berliner on vibraphone, James Francies on piano and Fender Rhodes, Burniss Earl Travis II on bass and Marcus Gilmore on drums. Among the album’s special guests is alto saxophonist … Read More
by Nate Chinen, WBGO “What does devotion sound like? One vivid answer to that question can be found in a forthcoming album by singer-songwriter and playwright SOMI, titled Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba.” Read the Valentine’s Day-themed Take Five here.
by Nate Chinen, WBGO “His new album on Outside in Music, Unamuno Songs and Stories, adapts some of the ideas Unamuno articulated during the Spanish Civil War to our own present moment of doubt and division, with an underlying note of hope.” See the full article and video here.
By Matt Micucci, JazzIz Read the full article here.
By Hank Shteamer, Rolling Stone “Take Five,” a 1959 track by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, was always a musical oddity: a swinging, instantly catchy jazz piece written in the uncommon time signature of 5/4. But it was also a huge hit and the first platinum-selling single in jazz history. Read this full announcement here.
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 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 Nate Chinen, WBGO Roxy Coss, “Don’t Cross the Coss” Speaking of strong voices on the tenor saxophone, Roxy Coss recently announced a new video album, Quintet, to be released by Outside In Music on Aug. 23. The quintet in question is a corker, with Coss on tenor, Alex Wintz on guitar, Miki Yamanaka on piano, Rick Rosato on … Read More
Nate Chinen, WBGO Listen to “Urban Location” here. The soprano saxophone is more than a primary instrument for Sam Newsome. It also suggests a pathway and a destination, a vehicle and a voice. If you’ve been following Newsome’s work, you should be aware of his extensive forays into solo soprano saxophone performance, memorably documented on … Read More
Nate Chinen, WBGO Brandee Younger, “Linda Lee” – listen here! If it feels like we’ve been waiting a while for Soul Awakening, the latest from harpist and composer Brandee Younger, that impression is justified: the music was recorded some six years ago. Considering that Younger is releasing the album herself, there were surely some practical reasons for … Read More
