Noah Preminger - Dark Days - Criss Cross
Although winter solstice was imminent when Noah Preminger was preparing to record his fourth Criss Cross session last December, diminishing daylight was not the reason for the album’s title. Rather, “Dark Days” reflects the eminent tenor saxophonist’s overall state of mind in 2024. “I was deep in hell,” he says, reflecting on a year when he experienced chronic health issues (since resolved) and a divorce. “It was a dark time.” Throughout the year, Preminger could count on an opportunity “to wash away the dust of everyday life,” as Art Blakey once put it, at his weekly Friday-Saturday engagement at Wally’s Jazz Café in Boston, where he performed and developed the tunes that appear on this kinetic, conversational, virtuosically executed quartet recital. “I’ve led a group at Wally’s since 2021, when they reopened after the pandemic,” Preminger says. “It’s important because so many people go to school in Boston, and it’s a place where everybody can come and hang out and play and develop their thing. It’s been a great outlet for me to play and workshop new material as I write it. And getting to play twice a week is unheard-of.” Line up: Noah Preminger (tenor saxophone) / Kim Cass (bass) / Terreon Gully (drums) / Ely Perlman (piano)
Lisa Hilton - Extended Daydream - Ruby Slippers Productions
The Lisa Hilton Quintet returns with Extended Daydream. The award-winning composer and acclaimed pianist generously shares the spotlight with her stellar bandmates on eleven standout tracks. In a natural and genre-fluid approach, Hilton seamlessly combines the renowned 1959 cool jazz classic So What by Miles Davis alongside the 2024 tune Wildflower by singer/songwriter Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell, as well as nine of her own compositions. If a daydream is a hopeful or insightful experience, the arc of Extended Daydream does extend hope and beauty along with a wallop of improvisational energy and style. Long a composer and pianist to watch, Hilton triumphs with this new genre fluid collection of cool jazz. PERSONNEL: LISA HILTON – PIANO, J.D. ALLEN – SAX, IGMAR THOMAS – TRUMPET, RUDY ROYSTON – DRUMS, LUQUES CURTIS – BASS
Kenny Barron - Songbook - Artwork Records
NEA Jazz Master and 14x GRAMMY nominee Kenny Barron announces Songbook, arriving November 14 on Artwork Records. This album represents the fulfillment of a decades-long dream for the 82-year-old piano master, showcasing 13 of his original compositions reimagined with lyrics by gifted songwriter Janice Jarrett and interpreted by an extraordinary ensemble of established and emerging vocalists. Joined by his long-standing trio featuring Kiyoshi Kitagawa on bass and Johnathan Blake on drums, Barron unveils a collection that seamlessly blends lyrical sophistication, harmonic depth, and rhythmic vitality. When asked why he decided to venture into this new direction at this point in his amazing career, the 82-year-old Barron laughs, “Because I’m getting old. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. This project had been running through my head for more than three decades. So, I decided that this would be the perfect time.” The album features a remarkable cast of vocalists, including jazz luminaries Cécile McLorin Salvant, Kurt Elling, Ann Hampton Callaway, Catherine Russell, and Jean Baylor, alongside three exceptional emerging artists: Kavita Shah, Ekep Nkwelle, and label-mate Tyreek McDole. Songbook marks Barron’s first album to fully feature vocals. The project showcases the enduring resonance of his compositional catalog, with each song revealing new facets through Jarrett’s evocative lyrics and the distinctive interpretations of each vocalist.
Gregory Groover Jr - Old Knew - Criss Cross
Old Knew is Gregory Groover Jr’s follow-up to his 2024 Criss Cross debut, Lovabye. On Old Knew, Groover addresses similarly inspired repertoire from a different angle, eliciting collective kineticism and creative spirit from a pan-generational A-list quintet, comprising Ross, the nonpareil 30-year-old vibraphonist; Paul Cornish, the 20-something pianist; and the glorious drummer Kendrick Scott and bass provocateur Harish Raghavan. There’s also a theme on this record, but I wanted the energy to feel different, less about the written composition and the mood, and more about the interaction and my playing.” Towards that aspiration, Groover wrote or arranged another 11 pieces tailored to the idiosyncratic tonal personalities of his bandmates, who color and characterize the music.
Nat Adderly Jr. Trio - Took So Long – Independent
Nat Adderley Jr., renowned pianist, keyboardist, composer, musical director and arranger, steps into the spotlight with Took So Long, his first album as a leader. Best known for his four decades shaping the music of Luther Vandross, Adderley now steps out front with a trio project. The album offers a pleasing mix of standards and reimagined classics. Across the record Adderley’s joined by longtime friends, bassist Belden Bullock and drummer Steve Johns, as well as bassist Chris Berger and drummers Tommy Campbell, Dwayne Cook Broadnax and Vince Ector. Adderley’s version of “Superstar,” first arranged for Vandross on Busy Body in 1983 and later Live at Radio City Music Hall, shifts from its moody aura into a festive Brazilian samba.
Steven Oquendo Latin Jazz Orchestra - A Centennial Salute To Tito & Tito - Truth Revolutions
For more than a decade, the Steven Oquendo Latin Jazz Orchestra (SOLJO) has been one of the most precious hidden treasures of the Bronx, New York City’s majority Hispanic borough. The trumpeter-educator Steven Oquendo founded SOLJO while working as a music instructor at Harlem School of the Arts. The orchestra performed alongside Celia Cruz, Rubén Blades, and Eddie Palmieri, initially as a rehearsal band. At the behest of impresario David Maldonado, the ensemble soon found itself working regularly with a weekly residency across the river. This recording finds the band tearing it up, celebrating the centennial of Tito Puente and Tito Rodriguez at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club, located just a few blocks uptown from the old Palladium Ballroom, where the two Titos made history at the home of the mambo.
Lauren Scales, Mike Flanagan, Chris Grasso - Many Rivers - Truth Revolution Records
Many Rivers is the effervescent trio debut from vocalist Lauren Scales, saxophonist Mike Flanagan, and pianist Chris Grasso — three acclaimed artists from divergent backgrounds united by creative chemistry. Due August 8 on Truth Revolution Recording Collective, the album features a soul-stirring program of seven covers and two originals by Scales, brought to life with support from Grammy-winning bassist Luques Curtis and first-call drummers Richie Barshay and Grammy-nominee Charles Haynes. Scales, Flanagan & Grasso is a forward-thinking jazz trio defined by dynamic interplay, genre-blending repertoire, and a shared reverence for storytelling through music. With roots in Provincetown, MA, their collaboration emerged organically through residencies and live performance, evolving into a full-fledged creative partnership that has captivated audiences across the Northeast and beyond.