Natalie Jacob - Sooner or Later - Independent
Los Angeles-based jazz vocalist Natalie Jacob is releasing her highly anticipated debut album, Sooner or Later, a collection of tunes from the Great American Songbook and three bossa nova standards by Jobim. Produced by Grammy Award-winning Scotty Barnhart, the director of the Count Basie Orchestra, the album features a Who’s Who of L.A.’s top musicians, including Barnhart on trumpet, pianist Tamir Hendelman (Barbra Streisand, Clayton-Hamilton Big Band) – who also wrote all the arrangements — guitarist Anthony Wilson (Diana Krall, Madeleine Peyroux, Al Jarreau), bassist Carlitos Del Puerto (Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Celia Cruz), drummer Clayton Cameron, and percussionist Kevin Winard. For this debut album, Jacob chose songs from her live shows that brought out her sultry timbre, clear diction, and unerring sense of swing, offering a fresh perspective to the ten timeless standards on Sooner or Later.
Misha Tsiganov - Painter of Dreams - Criss Cross
On Misha Tsiganov’s fifth album, Painter of Dreams, he features two highly reworked standards along with six recent melody-forward compositions, to which Tsiganov applies his signature blend of radical reharmonization, mixed meters, shifting tempos, and changing keys. Otherwise, this ambitious recital documents several “firsts.” For one thing, Tsiganov expands beyond the saxophone-trumpet- piano-bass-drums format, scoring five of the eight selections for either three or four horns. For another, he broadens his tonal palette beyond the almost entirely acoustic soundscape of his prior Criss Cross oeuvre, liberally weaving the Rhodes and Minimoog into the flow, as well as the preternaturally flexible voice of Hiske Oosterwijk, who also contributes two lyrics. Also, for the first time as a leader, Tsiganov augments the luminous trumpeter-flugelhornist (and 13-time Criss Cross leader) Alex Sipiagin on the front line with alto sax titan Miguel Zenón, who plays for the entirety of the proceedings, and – on three pieces – the transcendent Chris Potter on tenor and soprano saxophones.
Bill Warfield & the Hell’s Kitchen Funk Orchestra - Chesapeake - Planet Arts Network
Chesapeake Bay and the memories from Bill’s childhood there serves as the prime inspiration for the aptly titled Chesapeake – the new album by Warfield and his hard-hitting Hell’s Kitchen Funk Orchestra, due out August 2, 2024 via Planet Arts. For his most autobiographical work to date, Warfield taps fellow Baltimorean Gary Bartz, as well as special guests Conrad Herwig, Lou Marini, Paul Shaffer, and conductor/pianist Eugene Albulescu to augment his Hell’s Kitchen Funk Orchestra.One of the more flexible large ensembles on the New York scene, capable of swinging fervently, playing a persuasive mambo or laying down the funk in no uncertain terms, the Hell’s Kitchen Funk Orchestra covers a lot of bases on Chesapeake. Said Warfield, “I want to thank all the people that came together for this project — and there’s got to be 25 of them in all. It’s a very important part of my musical history now, and I’m grateful for it.”
Monika Herzig's Sheroes - All In Good Time - ACME Records
On All In Good Time, Herzig is once again joined by Sheroes charter members Jamie Baum on flute, Reut Regev on trombone and Leni Stern on guitar. Drummer Rosa Avila returns from her appearances on 2018’s Sheroes and 2020’s Eternal Dance, while newcomers Camille Thurman on tenor sax and vocals (a former member of the DIVA Jazz Orchestra and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra) and bassist-composer Gina Schwarz fill out this current potent lineup. Together their chemistry is undeniable, as they skillfully navigate the challenging originals by Herzig and Schwarz — and one surprising cover — while delivering impassioned improvisations along the way. The various Sheroes ensembles over time represent an extended family of bandleaders in their own right. All In Good Time is their latest step in their ongoing mission to elevate some of these iconic composers and players.
Antonio Faraò - Tributes - Criss Cross
Antonio Faraò’s newest project, titled Tributes, is Faraò’s Criss Cross label debut, which was recorded in Meudon Studios in Paris in July 2023. The Milan-based pianist, then 58, convened an equivalently virtuosic trio comprising bassist John Patitucci and drummer Jeff Ballard, presented them with eight originals and two standards, and let them loose. Each member operates at a creative peak on this kinetic, beautifully proportioned 65-minute recital. It’s Faraò’s sixth trio album and he eschews ironic deflection and gratuitous structural complication, sustaining an attitude of in-the-moment creation and a fierce will to swing.
Alexis Cole – Jazz Republic: Taiwan, US, and the Freedom of Swing – Tiger Turn
This wonderful new big band album is the result of decades of cultural diplomacy. Renowned educator Dr. Gene Aitken founded the Taipei Jazz Orchestra in the 1990’s. Currently directed by world class saxophonist Cheng-yu Jimmy Lee, they brought New York veteran vocalist Alexis Cole to Taiwan in 2023 for a festival performance and recording. This big band is full of youthful energy and approaches erasing the gender gap with 1/3 women in the band including in lead chairs. Jazz is alive and well in Taiwan thanks to the diligence and persistence of these great champions of the music.
Lakecia Benjamin – Phoenix Reimagined – Ropeadope
First announced on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, 3x GRAMMY nominated alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin releases her first LIVE studio album, Phoenix Reimagined (Live) via Ropeadope. This transcendent performance boasts three new songs, including the title track featuring John Scofield, Randy Brecker and Jeff “Tain” Watts. The success of her most recent releases, 2023’s Phoenix and 2020’s Pursuance: The Coltranes, positioned Benjamin among jazz’s most celebrated recording artists: In addition to absolute raves in outlets like The New York Times, The Guardian and DownBeat, she received three Grammy nominations for Phoenix, as well as an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Jazz Album. And yet — the ever-rising star from Washington Heights remains, at her core, an improviser best experienced in her soul-stirring concerts. Each and every time she hits the bandstand, she takes her repertoire, and her wide-ranging audience, to sublime new planes. And her message — of spiritual uplift, of social and political liberation — soars higher still.
Etienne Charles - Creole Orchestra ft. Rene Marie - Culture Shock Music
Defined by a riveting array of Caribbean rhythms, Etienne Charles’s first album featuring his big band arrangements is a personal triumph, but Creole Orchestra is also part of a much larger story. Drawing on material from several different commissions and projects, the album encompasses the key players from Charles’s band Creole Soul.
Special Guests – René Marie (vocals), Brandon Rose (vocals), DJ Logic (turntables). Woodwinds – Michael Thomas (lead alto & soprano), Godwin Louis (lead alto & soprano), Brian Hogans (alto sax), John Ellis (tenor sax & bass clarinet), Seth Ebersole (tenor sax & clarinet). Paul Nedzela (baritone sax & bass clarinet), Gina Izzo – flute (Douens, Holy City & Colorado River Song). Trumpets – Etienne Charles, Jumaane Smith (lead), Walter Cano, Anthony Stanco, Giveton Gelin (Old School). Trombones – Dion Tucker, Corey Wilcox, Michael Dease, Chris Glassman (bass tbn). Rhythm Section – Sullivan Fortner (piano/fender rhodes), Alex Wintz (guitar), Ben Williams (bass), Jonathan Michel (bass) , Obed Calvaire (drums), Etienne Charles (percussion), Jorge Glem (cuatro), Pascual Landeau (marac).
Fernando Huergo – Relentless - Whaling City Sound
Fernando Huergo’s latest album, Relentless redefines resilience through music. Relentless is a musical exploration inspired by Luke Mogelson’s insights in The New Yorker. Huergo’s compositions reflect on societal struggles, including oppression, discrimination, and environmental challenges, aiming to inspire hope and compassion. Led by renowned composer, arranger, and bassist Fernando Huergo, this stellar lineup features an array of exceptional musicians, including Jeff Claassen, Billy Buss, Dan Rosenthal, Greg Hopkins, Randy Pingrey, Chris Gagne, Jason Camelio, Andy Garcia, Yulia Musayelyan, Rick Stone, Allan Chase, Rick DiMuzio, Joel Springer, Daniel Ian Smith, Santiago Bosch, Gen Yoshimura, and Ernesto Diaz. The album features tracks like “Ornette,” a tribute to jazz legend Ornette Coleman, and “La Vida Sigue,” reflecting on life after the pandemic. Huergo’s arrangements showcase the talents of musicians like Billy Buss, Yulia Musayelyan, and Allan Chase, each contributing to the album’s depth. Produced by Yulia Musayelyan and mixed by Alex Rodríguez, “Relentless” offers a rich sonic experience, mastered by Luis Bacqué. With heartfelt appreciation to collaborators, supporters, and loved ones, “Relentless” is more than an album—it’s a testament to resilience, hope, and the enduring power of music. Join the journey and discover the strength within with Fernando Huergo’s Relentless today.
Zaccai Curtis – Cubop Lives! – TR Collective
Zaccai Curtis pays forward the lineage of Afro-Cuban Jazz on Cubop Lives!. Zaccai Curtis is a multi-faceted pianist for whom every side of his work gleams. Equal parts performer, composer, educator, and producer, he vibrantly showcases his mastery of both the Jazz and Afro-Cuban Jazz lineages. Curtis holds professor positions at the University of Hartford and the University of Rhode Island, and as a producer, Curtis has been nominated for a GRAMMY for his work on Entre Colegas by Andy González. Now, after honing his craftsmanship in every area of musicianship, Curtis embarks on a journey near and dear to his heart with Cubop Lives!, an album that stands as the culmination of his work as a composer/arranger, performer, and educator steeped in the Afro-Cuban Jazz tradition. Cubop Lives! is an album born from a passion of the heart. As a musician who is so deeply steeped in the Jazz and Bebop tradition and so vivaciously immersed in the worlds of Afro-Cuban Jazz, Curtis found himself wanting to pay homage to the great musicians in whose steps he has trod who brought together the distinct fusion of these musical cultures.