MzVal - Simply Me - ESJR Music
A Journey from Ray Charles to Center Stage: MzVal’s Debut Album Simply Me. Jazz vocalist MzVal has unveiled her debut album, *Simply Me*, now available at www.MzVal.com. A member of the renowned Clayton jazz family, MzVal has built an impressive career that blends rich musical traditions with her own distinctive voice. Drawing early inspiration from legends such as Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Nancy Wilson, and Nina Simone, MzVal’s artistry was shaped by her time as a Raelette, touring internationally with the legendary Ray Charles. With a background that spans theater, national anthem performances for NBA games, and contributions to celebrated jazz recordings, MzVal brings a lifetime of experience to this heartfelt project. *Simply Me* reflects her passion for jazz as a creative space where joy, emotion, and authenticity meet, offering listeners a collection that is as personal as it is universal.
Mark Masters Ensemble ft. Billy Harper - Dance, Eternal Spirits, Dance! - Capri Records
On a pair of thrilling new albums for longtime label home Capri Records, acclaimed arranger and bandleader Mark Masters works his re-compositional magic on the work of two masters of the tenor saxophone, both very different but equally brilliant composers. With Sam Rivers 100, Masters honors the 2023 centenary of avant-garde jazz pioneer Sam Rivers, while on Dance, Eternal Spirits, Dance! he explores the wide-ranging compositions of spiritual jazz legend Billy Harper. Both albums, to be released in June 2025, feature ingenious new arrangements for different configurations of the Mark Masters Ensemble, and are graced by the breathtaking solo work of Billy Harper. “Billy Harper is a longtime hero of mine,” says Masters, who first invited the tenor great to guest on his 1990 album Priestess, which also featured trombonist and Charles Mingus sideman Jimmy Knepper. “Billy is a very gifted composer whose music is singular, and I also love his playing.”
Greg Murphy - Snap Happy – Whaling City Sound
Snap Happy, pianist Greg Murphy’s eighth album as leader, abounds with infectious rhythms and jubilant melodies. This recording showcases a unique blend of technical prowess and musicality across a wide variety of jazz styles, from the finger-popping original Snap Happy and Chick Corea’s Humpty Dumpty, to the luscious ballad I Fall in Love Too Easily. Bassist Obasi Akoto and drummer Steve Johns complete what is arguably one of today’s nest jazz piano trios. Mark Whitfield adds his signature warm soulful guitar to the title tune Snap Happy, George Duke’s Geneva (augmented by vocalist Sy Smith) and Lenny White’s The Shadow of Lo. Snap Happy concludes with brilliant fresh takes on a couple of Monk tunes (Pannonica as a bossa nova and Monk’s Mood as a jazz waltz) and the blazing up-tempo version of the jazz standard All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm. With uplifting tunes performed by some of today’s best musicians, Snap Happy exudes happiness, achieving Greg’s objective “… to make people happy.”
Elijah Rock - Memories Unleashed - Impulse 1 - The Elijah Rock Foundation Inc
Memories Unleashed – Impulse 1 features Elijah Rock performing nine beloved standards from the Great American Songbook, with arrangements provided by Rayford Griffin and Todd Hunter. Their arrangements for the project are fresh, swing, and wrap the music around Elijah Rock’s voice. In his busy and productive career, Elijah Rock has accomplished a great deal as a singer, an actor, and an entertainer, including recording three well-received albums. But Memories Unleashed – Impulse 1 is a particularly special project. “My Dad is living with Alzheimer’s disease so I was on a mission to see how my artistic work could help,” he explains. In addition to being a performer, Elijah Rock is a Senior Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health from the Global Brain Health Institute at the University of California, San Francisco. “These are songs that Dad grew up with and they bring back memories. It is about treasured moments and reflects the emotional and neurological impact of music.” All of the proceeds from the sale of Memories Unleashed – Impulse 1, which is dedicated to his father and all of the families affected by Alzheimer’s and related diseases, will go towards brain health advocacy.
Lucía - Lucía - La Reserve
Three years ago, 23-year-old singer Lucía was a finalist at the prestigious Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition – and the first Mexican artist to enter the contest. For the final round, she picked a standard that reflected her musical sensibility, colored in equal parts by the beauty of jazz and the Latin American songbook – a mash-up of “What a Difference a Day Makes” with its initial incarnation as a bolero in Spanish written in Spanish by María Grever. Lucía won the competition. “What a Difference a Day Makes” is now the opening cut of the self-titled Lucía, an exquisite debut album that showcases the luminous qualities of her voice, and her superb technique and versatility. From her velvety reading of McCoy Tyner and Sammy Cahn’s “You Taught My Heart To Sing” and an achingly vulnerable cover of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Lacy” to a mournful “Alfonsina y el Mar” and a version of “Veracruz” that brims with Lucía’s Mexican pride, the Matt Pierson-produced album finds the emerging singer surrounded by a cadre of jazz virtuosos: Venezuelan pianist Edward Simon, American double-bassist Larry Grenadier, Mexican drummer Antonio Sánchez, and Puerto Rican saxophonist David Sánchez.
Albare – Eclecticity - AlFi Records
Melbourne’s Jazz Alchemists: Forging Eclecticism into Gold. From the vibrant heart of Melbourne’s jazz scene emerges a collective of extraordinary talent—a sonic crucible where diverse musical backgrounds and global influences fuse into breathtaking alchemy. The Jazz Alchemists, a band forged from the fires of passion and honed by decades of experience, are set to release their highly anticipated album, Eclecticity, under the visionary brand of guitarist/composer Albare. This is not just another jazz ensemble; it’s a constellation of virtuosos, each a luminary in their own right, united by a shared vision to push the boundaries of contemporary jazz. Phil Turcio, serves as both Executive Producer and pianist. Mat Jodrell on trumpet, leads the horn section alongside Phil Noy on saxophone, Felix Bloxom on Drums, and Phil Rex on bass. Adding an international layer is Salva Persico on Percussion.
Dave Bass - Trio Nuevo vol 2 - Dave Bass Music
Dave Bass’ newest album, Trio Nuevo, Vol 2, reveals an artist at the top of his form. His first three releases featured vocalists, but in 2021, he turned his attention to the trio format. Bass says, “I think playing in a trio is one of the most challenging situations for a musician. There’s no place to hide. You have to play at the highest level. But it’s also very satisfying, because you can really develop a kind of telepathy with other musicians, especially if you’ve been performing together for a while. Tyler, Steve, and I have shared many gigs over the last year, and our playing has gotten even tighter. There’s almost a telepathic connection between us now.” Dave Bass is one of the most interesting piano players on the scene today. He is a true jazzer with the ability to seamlessly meld bebop, classical, Latin, and pop, creating richly textured, high-energy music that takes you on surprising journeys. With stellar accompaniment from Taylor Miles and Steve Helfand, Trio Neuvo Vol 2 is another superb release from a piano master who keeps on making progress.