2020 Jazz Releases, Vol. V

Playlist    7339

When the final value of a set exceeds the sum of the values of its elements, then we are talking about an oasis of negative entropy. Of course, this does not mean that no energy was lost elsewhere. So, here is a collection of  28 pieces from the harvest of the last three months, that confirms the truth of the matter!

Enjoy the playlist on music streaming services:

(misses one track)

Find below information, reviews and comments about the 27 albums contributing to the playlist

Chase Kuesel – Space Between
Genre: Modern jazz, new jazz, vocal
Label: Ears & Eyes Records
Place: Brooklyn
Reviews: AllAboutJazz, JazzIz
Listen: Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

On his debut album, award-winning young drummer Chase Kuesel and his fellows, funded through the “Focusyear Artist Grant”, tastefully master the modern jazz language.
Chase Kuesel (DR), Eli MI Heath (b), Francesca Gaza (voc.), Song Yi Jeon (voc.), Iannis Obiols (keys) Matt Dibiase (vib.), Sam Barnett (as) Santi De La Ruba (ts), Vinicius Gomes (g)

Swing Vandals – Méditerranée
Genre: World, Meditteranean, vocal
Label: iMD-UNI-SON
Place: France
Reviews:
Listen: Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

Swing Vandals perform with fidelity and grace on various Mediterranean songs, including several Greek ones

Iron Wigs – Your Birthday’s Cancelled
Genre: Jazz rap
Label: Mello Music Group
Place: Chicago, Illinois
Reviews: MellonMusicGroup, HipHopAuthority
Listen: Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

Chicago’s  rappers Vic Spencer and Verbal Kent successfully collaborate with the UK’s producer Sonnyjim to form Iron Wigs

Todd DelGiudice – Human Element
Genre: Post-bop
Label: North Florida Scene Records
Place: North Florida
Reviews:
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

A flawless quintet with professor Todd DelGiudice’s saxophone; no further information available

Dan Radlauer – Dan Radlauer and His Quarantined Big Band
Genre: Contemporary jazz, big band
Label: Rad Music
Place: LA, California
Reviews:
Listen: Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

A hot big band with original compositions, which was set up remotely with multiple recordings, during the quarantine, by the experienced and remarkable composer, arranger, bassist, guitarist, and pianist Dan Radlauer, featuring  Wayne Bergeron (all trumpets), Andy Martin (all trombones), Mark Hollingsworth (saxes. fl, cl.)

Miguel Alvarado – Idile
Genre: Latin jazz, Afro-Cuban, hip-hop
Label: Ear Up Records
Place: Nashville, Tennessee
Reviews: SolarLatinClub
Listen: Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify

Saxophonist, flutist and multi-organist Miguel Alvarado, with his compositions and arrangements, manages to create a personal, mysterious, and dark atmosphere, combining the colors and the harmony of modern jazz with Afro-Cuban rhythms

Jeremy Levy Jazz Orchestra – The Planets: Reimagined
Genre: Contemporary jazz, big band
Label: OA2 Records
Place: Los Angeles
Reviews: AllAboutJazz
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

Advanced, jazz transcriptions of Gustav Holst’s classic suite “The Planets” by Jeremy Levy, a rising bandleader and his dynamic big band

Jordan Seigel – Beyond Images
Genre: Cinematic music, Jazz
Label: Wonderbird Music
Place: Los Angeles
Reviews:  Downbeat, DimediaMusic
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

Pianist Jordan Seigel’s debut album “is a blend of jazz and film music aesthetics, incorporating piano trio, woodwind quintet, string quartet, vocals, vibraphone, guitar, mandolin and percussion in varying, kaleidoscopic combinations”

Jeff Cosgrove, John Medeski, Jeff Lederer – History Gets Ahead of the Story
Genre: Post-bop, free-bop
Label: Grizzley Music
Place: Maryland
Reviews: AllAboutJazz, JazzTrail
Listen: Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

Α retrospection of the bop of recent decades, through  bassist William Parker’s compositions, by the genre specialists Jeff Cosgrove (dr), John Medeski (organ), Jeff Lederer (ts, ss)

Bryony Jarman-Pinto – Fish Factory Sessions – EP
Genre: Neo-soul, vocal jazz
Label: Tru Thoughts
Place: London
Reviews: TruThoughts, BackSeatMafia
Listen: Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

New studio performances, with a character of a live concert, by Bryony Jarman-Pinto re-working on her impressive last year’s debut album “Cage and Aviary” (see 2019 Jazz Releases, Vol. VII).
Her bandmates are Alley Lloyd (b, g, voc.), Vanessa Rani Chutturghoon (perc. voc.), Dwayne Kilvington AKA Wonky Logic (Rhodes), Matthew Davies (dr). Bryoni also plays the flute

Miles Francis & Jas Walton – Basement Tape
Genre: Jazz beats
Label: Figure & Ground
Place: New York
Reviews: Figure&Ground
Listen: Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

Jazzy beats with a hue of minimalist psychedelia, in the new production of Miles Francis & Jas Walton

Immanuel Wilkins – Omega
Genre: Modern jazz, new jazz, free jazz
Label: Blue Note Records 
Place: NY
Reviews: BlueNote, AllAboutJazz, GlideMagazine
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

22 y.ο. alto saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins is Blue Note’s new star!
Graduated from The Julliard School and mentored by Ambrose Akinmusire, he is a prime example of the new generation of talented musicians who express themselves with a new jazz vocabulary, exploiting the past, interacting with the present, and defining the future.
We met him in “Kingmaker” (2019), the impressive debut of the vibraphonist Joel Ross (included in 2019 Jazz Releases, Vol. V), and now, he signs one of the best albums of 2020.
Produced by Jason Moran, “Omega” is a socio-political, “protest” album, which portrays, dramatically and spiritually, the social injustice against Βlacks in America, garnering enthusiastic reviews.
Talented Micah Thomas (p), Daryl Johns (b), Kweku Sumbry (dr) worthily contribute to the overall result

Artemis – ARTEMIS
Genre: Post-bop
Label: Blue Note Records 
Place: NY
Reviews: BlueNote, AllAboutJazz, JazzTimes
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

This sophisticated, all-female, all-star, international group Artemis, led by pianist/composer Renee Rosnes, exudes delicacy and prettiness
Renee Rosnes (p), Anat Cohen (cl., bcl), Melissa Aldana (ts), Ingrid Jensen (tr), Noriko Ueda (b), Allison Miller (dr)

Walter White – BB XL
Genre: Contemporary jazz, big band
Label: Stentor Records
Place: Detroit
Reviews:
Listen: Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

Trumpeter and bandleader Walter White nicely arranges standards for a big band, featuring renowned players, such as Alex Foster and Rick Margitza (saxes), Conrad Herwig and Michael Dease (trb), Wayne Bergeron (tp), Gary Schunk (p)

Jimmy Heath – Love Letter
Genre: Jazz, ballads
Label: Verve
Place: USA
Reviews: NPR, AllAboutJazz, JazzTimes
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

The latest recording of the historic saxophonist, composer and arranger Jimmy Heath, who recently passed away at the age of 93.
Featuring Kenny Barron (p), Russell Malone (g), Monte Croft (vib.), David Wong (b), Lewis Nash (dr) and Gregory Porter (voc.), Cécile McLorin Salvant (voc.) and Wynton Marsalis (tr), as guests

Oliver Lutz – Re: Calamari
Genre: Fusion, modern jazz
Label: KLAENGrecords
Place: Cologne & Berlin
Reviews: JazzCity.DE, JazzFrankfurt
Listen: Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify

Interesting, pleasing German fusion, by Oliver Lutz (b, el-b, synth prog), Wanja Slavin (as, synth prog), Pablo Held (keys), Andi Haberl (dr, perc), Rebekka Salomea (voc)

John Beasley – MONK’estra Plays John Beasley
Genre: Big band, contemporary jazz
Label: Mack Avenue Records
Place: USA
Reviews: JazzBluesNews, MakingASsene
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

Multi-Grammy winner pianist, composer, arranger, conductor John Beasley and his famous MONK’estra, this time perform original Beasley’s compositions.
Featuring Bob Sheppard,  Banny Janklow (saxes), Steve Tavaglione (synth), John Patitucci (b), Vinne Colaiuta, Ulysses Owens, Jr (dr). Guests are  Grégoire Maret (harm), Joey DeFrancesco (B3), Hubert Laws (fl), Ralph Moore (ts)..

Chick Corea – Plays
Genre: Jazz, classical
Label: Concord Jazz
Place: Clearwater FL, Paris,  Berlin
Reviews: AllAboutJazz, ArtFuse
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

A double album with twenty-six solo piano tracks, from various live performances in Europe and America in 2018, where the emblematic jazz pianist Armando Antonio “Chick” Corea (b.1941), improvises with his own unique, impeccable style, making classical music sound like jazz and jazz sound like classical

Glenn Zaleski – The Question
Genre: Contemporary jazz, post-bop
Label: Sunnyside
Place: New York
Reviews: DownBeat, JazzTrail
Listen: Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify

Elegant, civilized sound, by the 33 y.o. pianist/composer Glenn Glenn Zaleski’s quintet, featuring notable partners.
Adam O’Farrill (tp), Lucas Pino (ts), Glenn Zaleski (p), Desmond White (b), Allan Mednard (dr)

Mehmet Ali Sanlikol & Whatsnext? – The Rise Up: Stories of Strife, Struggle and Inspiration
Genre: World, big band 
Label: DÜNYA
Place: USA
Reviews: MakingAScene
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

Acclaimed composer, pianist, multi-instrumentalist and ethnomusicologist Mehmet Ali Sanlikol masterfully combines the jazz composition technique with the classical Turkish music and traditional Middle East instrumentation, in an “epic” and “cosmopolitan” project, with Dave Liebman (ss), as  soloist

sax triplets – Triplets
Genre: Smooth Jazz
Label: stm records
Place: Japan
Reviews:
Listen: Deezer, Spotify

Sax triplets are Miho Terachi, Yukiko Horie and Midori Kawamura, who have been serving the smooth jazz genre consistently since 2014, always striving for something more

On a Limb – Replaying the Tapes
Genre: modern jazz, contemporary jazz
Label: Honestly Records
Place: Cincinnati, Ohio
Reviews:
Listen: Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

On a Limb is the melodic and  rhythmic trio of young Andrew Haug (p, rhodes), Noah Simionides (b), Charlie Schefft (dr)

Jacob Collier – Djesse Vol. 3
Genre: R&B, pop, electronic
Label: Decca (UMO)
Place: London
Reviews: LondonJazzNews, AVclub (interview), SunGenre
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

The third part of the Djesse tetralogy, by the super-talented, multi-Grammy awarded, 25 y.o. Jacob Collier, famous for his innovative arrangements and polyphonies he uses to produce a complex, multi-influenced, modern pop, generally-recognized and accepted

Christophe Zoogonès – Zoology
Genre: Fusion
Label: Ilona Records
Place: France
Reviews:
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

Progressive fusion, also incorporating elements of traditional music maloya, by Reunionese flutist and composer Christophe Zoogonès and his quartet

Caloé – Saisons
Genre: Vocal jazz
Label: Label Ouest
Place: France
Reviews:
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

With her flexible, tender voice and a dynamic group, Caloé οn her own today’s jazz songs, of various moods
Ashlin Parker (tp), Franck Wolf (sax), Clément Simon (p),  Arthur Henn (b), Philip Maniez (dr) and rapper Julien Tempere as guest

Giovanni Cigui – Cheewi Beats
Genre: New jazz, jazz-hop
Label: Last Jerónimo Music Studios
Place: Amsterdam
Reviews:
Listen: Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

With the increasingly popular “new jazz” recipe, saxophonist Giovanni Cigui and his quintet, Cheewi Beats, on their first album, are cooking quite deliciously

Matthew Little – Liner Notes
Genre: New jazz, jazz-hop
Label: Common Good Records
Place: San Diego, California
Reviews: CommonGoodRecords 
Listen: Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify, YouTube

Today’s introspective soundscapes, by pianist/keyboard player Matthew “Honeybee” Little and his collaborators, Bubby Lewis (b), William Logan (dr), Josef Leimberg (tp), Tracy Wannomae (fl), Kam Talbert (voc)

Enjoy the playlist on music streaming services:

(misses one track)

More new releases are listed below (links to Deezer)

TRUMPETERS

SAXOPHONISTS/CLARINETISTS

TROMBONISTS/TUBISTS

GUITARISTS

PIANISTS/KEYBOARDISTS

BASSISTS

  • Matt Ulery (sousaphone) – Pollinator
  • Gregg August – Dialogues on Race
    (ft. John Bailey, John Ellis, Bruce Williams, JD Allen, Luis Perdomo, Donald Edwards..)
  • Igor Kogan – In a Big City
    (ft. Tierney Sutton)

DRUMMERS/PERCUSSIONISTS

VIBRAPHONIST

  • Chris Dingman – Embrace
    (Linda May Han Oh, Tim Keiper)

VIOLINIST

HARPIST

ACCORDIONIST

  • Vincent Peirani, Emile Parisien –  Abrazo

VOCALISTS

BIG BANDS/ORCHESTRAS/ENSEMBLES

GROUPS

BEATS/GROOVES/DJs/PRODUCERS

GREEK ARTISTS