Our summer program is light and pleasant, with no lack of jazz character. In this contribute new releases that align with the seasonal needs of the music audience. Aiming also for balance between simplicity and complexity, the classical and the contemporary, or the familiar and the innovative, we begin with cutting-edge trumpeter & producer Theo Croker, inspired by the different kinds of love. Along the way we listen to prominent saxophonist Troy Roberts‘ perspective on jazz-funk and fusion, the Canadian-Greek singer Melissa Stylianou, quite convincing in an old-fashioned set, the tireless smooth jazz veterans Najee and Norman Brown, the exemplary Eric Alexander on tenor and alto, who manages to de-dramatize Coltrane’s style in ballads with no casualties, were that to ever be possible!
Among the other modern stuff we will find the Barcelona Clarinet Players who set the scene for their beloved Paquito D’Rivera, the restless altoist David Binney who, speaking the modern language of jazz, transports us to “Tomorrow’s Journey”, Toshiko Akiyoshi’s daughter, songstress and producer Monday Michiru, the collaboration of the acclaimed duo Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad with the band of Katalyst, the futurist musician and poet Moor Mother, and more equally exciting music that, if it pleases you, you can explore and listen to, with just a click from the links listed below.
Listen to the Playlist on DEEZER, on SPOTIFY, or on YOUTUBE
The cover art depicts Santorini, the famous Greek Island, by Kuntal Chokshi
Find below information about the albums that take part in the playlist
Theo Croker – LOVE QUANTUM
Genre: Alt. hip-hop/rnb, new jazz
Label: (Sony) Masterworks
Place: USA
Reviews: AllMusic, SonyMusicMasterworks
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, Youtube
Theo Croker (tp), featuring Gary Bartz, Kassa Overall, Jill Scott, Ego Ella May, Chris Dave, ..
Acoustic Lounge – Alone Together
Genre: Contemporary jazz, lounge
Label: Mingus Records
Place: Denmark
Reviews: JazzFuel
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, Youtube
Acoustic Lounge (band)
Troy Roberts – Nu-Jive: Nations United
Genre: Jazz-funk, fusion
Label: Toy Robot Music
Place: New York
Reviews: AllAboutJazz, GlideMagazine
Listen: Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify, Youtube
Troy Roberts (ts)
Melissa Stylianou featuring Gene Bertoncini and Ike Sturm – Dream Dancing
Genre: Vocal jazz
Label: Anzic Records, LLC
Place: New York
Reviews: JazzTimes, BebopSpokenHere
Listen: Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify, Youtube
Melissa Stylianou (voc)
Solomon Parham – Forward
Genre: Jazz-hop, neo-soul
Label: SJPSoundz
Place:
Reviews:
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, Youtube
Solomon Parham (tp), featuring Ben Williams, Rodney Whitaker, ..
Najee – Savoir Faire
Genre: Smooth jazz
Label: Shanachie
Place: USA
Reviews: TheJazzWorld, SoulAndJazzAndFunk
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, Youtube
Najee (ss, as, ts, fl)
Barcelona Clarinet Players – Fantasias Barcelonicas: A Tribute to Paquito D’Rivera
Genre: Chamber jazz
Label: Sunnyside
Place: New York
Reviews:
Listen: Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify, Youtube
Manuel Martínez (cl), Javier Vilaplana (cl), Martí Guasteví (basset horn), Alejandro Castillo (bcl), Paquito D’Rivera (as, cl – 1, 3, 4, & 5)
Eric Alexander Quartet – Gentle Ballads VI
Genre: Contemporary jazz
Label: Venus
Place: USA
Reviews:
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, Youtube
Eric Alexander (ts, as), John Di Martino (p), Dezron Douglas (b), Willie Jones III (dr)
Sam Gendel – SUPERSTORE
Genre: Ambient jazz, electronic, beats, experimental
Label: Leaving Records
Place: Los Angeles
Reviews: Pitchfork, GlideMagazine
Listen: Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify, Youtube
Sam Gendel (sax, producer)
David Binney – Tomorrow’s Journey
Genre: Modern jazz
Label: Ghost Note Records
Place: Los Angeles
Reviews: Jazzwise, JazzSensibilities
Listen: Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify, Youtube
David Binney (as)
Norman Brown – Let’s Get Away
Genre: Smooth jazz
Label: Shanachie
Place: USA
Reviews: TheJazzWorld, SmoothJazzDaily, SoulAndJazzAndFunk, SmoothJazzTherapy
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, Youtube
Norman Brown (g)
Monday Michiru – ENSO
Genre: Vocal Jazz, neo-soul
Label: Monday Michiru
Place: USA
Reviews: AllAboutJazz, MondayMichiru
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, Youtube
Monday Michiru (voc, flute, producer)
eJazz Artistry – Let’s Get It On
Genre: Smooth jazz
Label: KOVIMI
Place: Germany
Reviews:
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, Youtube
Konstantin Klashtorni (sax, producer)
Katalyst, Adrian Younge, Ali Shaheed Muhammad – Katalyst JID013
Genre: Fusion
Label: Jazz is Dead
Place: Los Angeles
Reviews: AllMusic, GlideMagazine, JazzTimes
Listen: Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify, Youtube
Katalyst (band)
Moor Mother – Jazz Codes
Genre: Alt. hip-hop, afrofuturism, electronic, experimental
Label: Anti/Epitaph
Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Reviews: PitchFork, TheGuardian
Listen: Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify, Youtube
Camae Ayewa (aka Moor Mother), featuring Nicole Mitchell, Jason Moran, Melanie Charles, ..
Antoine Berjeaut – Chromesthesia
Genre: Nu jazz, electronic
Label: MENACE
Place: Paris, FR
Reviews: RateYourMusic
Listen: Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify, Youtube
Antoine Berjeaut (tp)
Pandrezz – Chasing Sunsets
Genre: Hip-hop, Jazz-hop, lo-fi, Chillhop, Soul / Trap
Label: Cool Cats Music
Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Reviews: HighResAudio
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, Youtube
Valentin Perez (aka Pandrezz), producer
Eme Eme Project – Pacemaker
Genre: Neo-soul, jazz-hop, fusion
Label: Youkali Music
Place: Spain
Reviews: InAndOutJazz
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, Youtube
Marta Mansilla (fl.)
Yvonne Gage – Feel Love
Genre: R&B/Soul, Smooth jazz
Label: Music Matters Entertainment
Place: Chicago, Illinois
Reviews: SoulStrutter
Listen: Deezer, Spotify, Youtube
Yvonne Gage (voc)
More New Releases
(from well-known artists and labels, and others of interest)
VOCALISTS
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Kurt Elling, Charlie Hunter – SuperBlue – The London Sessions (Live)
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Lizz Wright – Holding Space (Lizz Wright live in Berlin)
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Alexander Smalls – Let Us Break Bread Together (Outside in Music)(ft. Cyrus Chestnut, Reuben Rogers, John Ellis, Kevin Hays, Ben Williams, Ulysses Owens Jr., ..)
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Julia Moscardini – Mood Indigo
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Ronald Baker – Misty
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Vincent Ding – Incredible Views From Above (Outside in Music)
TRUMPETERS
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Tom Harrell – Oak Tree (HighNote)(Luis Perdomo, Ugonna Okegwo, Adam Cruz)
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Nate Wooley – Ancient Songs of Burlap Heroes (Pyroclastic)(ft. Mary Halvorson, Mat Maneri, ..)
SAXOPHONISTS, CLARINETISTS, FLUTISTS
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Bennie Maupin, Adam Rudolph – Symphonic Tone Poem for Brother Yusef (Strut)
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Oliver Lake, Sonic Liberation Front – Justice: The Vocal Works of Oliver Lake
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Charles Lloyd – Trios: Chapel (Live) (Blue Note)(Bill Frisell, Thomas Morgan)
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Tony Lakatos, Frankfurt Radio Bigband – Porgy & Bess
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Perico Sambeat – Atlantis(ft. Fabian Almazan, Pablo Menares, ..)
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Denis Gäbel – The Mingus Sessions (Mons)
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Benjamin Koppel – Anna’s Dollhouse(ft. Cæcilie Norby, Kenny Werner, Peter Erskine, ..)
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Grant Stewart Quartet with Bruce Harris – The Lighting of the Lamps (Cellar Live)
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Brian Landrus – Red List (Palmetto)
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Binker Golding – Dream Like a Dogwood Wild Boy (Gearbox)
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Alexandra Grimal – refuge (Relative Pitch)
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Stefano Bedetti Organ Trio – Chinese Sundays
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Nicolas Prost – Border Jazz (World Premieres)
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Caleb Wheeler Curtis – Heatmap(Orrin Evans, Eric Revis,Gerald Cleaver)
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Jane Ira Bloom – Picturing the Invisible: Focus 1(ft. Mark Helias, ..)
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Linda Sikfthakhane – Isambulo (Ropeadope)
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Stan Killian – Brooklyn Calling (Sunnyside)
(ft. Paul Bollenbeck, ..) -
Birgitta Flick Quartet – Miniatures and Fragments (Double Moon)
- Pekka Pylkkanen, Eric Ineke – Nordic Bop (Challenge)
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DoomCannon – Renaissance (Brownswood)
TROMBONISTS, TUBISTS
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Michael Dease – Best Next Thing (Posi-Tone)(Alex Sipiagin, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Renee Rosnes, Boris Kozlov, Rudy Royston)
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John Yao’s Triceratops – Off-Kilter(ft. Jon Irabagon, Mark Ferber, ..)
GUITARISTS
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Pasquale Grasso – Be-Bop! (Masterworks)(ft. Samara Joy, ..)
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Charlie Hunter, Bobby Previte – 12 Galaxies – A “Blues Caraoke” Playalong
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JJ Sansaverino – Soul Energy
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Cory Wong – Power Station
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Tim Fitzgerald – Tim Fitzgerald’s Full House(ft. Greg Ward II, ..)
PIANISTS, KEYBOARDISTS
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Bill Laurance & The Untold Orchestra – Live at EFG London Jazz Festival 2021
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Matthew Shipp Trio – World Construct (ESP)
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Mark De Clive-Lowe – Freedom – Celebrating the Music of Pharoah Sanders
- Leo Genovese – Ritual
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Pablo Ablanedo Octet – Chistreza (Newvelle)(ft. Anat Cohen, Chris Cheek, Ben Monder, Diego Urcola, ..)
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Ronnie Foster – Reboot (Blue Note)
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Darrell Grant – The New Black: Darrell Grant Live at Birdland(Marquis Hill, Kendrick Scott, Clark Sommers)
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Karl Berger – Sketches (Fresh Sound)
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Adam Shulman – Just the Contrafacts (Cellar live)(Peter Washington, Billy Drummond, Jeremy Pelt, Cory Weeds, Grant Stewart)
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Brian Charette – Jackpot (Cellar Live)(Cory Weeds, Ed Cherry, Bill Stewart)
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Harold Danko – Rite Notes (SteepleChase)
- Fabio Giachino & Emanuele Cisi – A Jazz Affair
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Aki Rissanen – Trio Live (Edition)
BASSISTS
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Brian Bromberg – A Bass Odyssey
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Harish Raghavan – In Tense (Whirlwind)(Eric Harland, Charles Altura, Joel Ross, Morgan Guerin)
DRUMMERS, PERCUSSIONISTS
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Ari Hoenig – Golden Treasures (Fresh Sound New Talent)
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Steve Gadd, Mika Stoltzman – Spirit of Chick Corea(ft. John Patitucci, Eddie Gomez, ..)
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Tumi Mogorosi – Group Theory: Black Music
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Keith Hall – Made in Kalamazoo (Trios and Duos)(ft. Robert Hurst III, Andrew Rathbun)
VIBRAPHONISTS
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Sasha Berliner – Onyx (Outside in Music)
(Marcus Gilmore, Burniss Travis, James Francies, Jaleel Shaw, Julius Rodriguez, Thana Alexa)
VIOLINISTS, CELLISTS
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Zach Brock – Dirty Mindz (GroundUp)(ft. Eric Harland, Criss Bullock, ..)
HARMONICISTS, ACCORDIONISTS, BANDONEONISTS
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Mathias Heise Quadrillion – Quadrillion
BIG BANDS, ORCHESTRAS, ENSEMBLES
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Louisa Williamson – What Dreams May Come (Blue Riot)
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Georg Breinschmid, Magnus Lindgren – Jazz at Berlin Philharmonic XIII: Celebrating Mingus 100 (ACT)
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Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra – Smash! (Outside in Music)(ft. Sean Jones, ..)
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Dutch Jazz Collective – Generations (ZenneZ)
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Spanish Harlem Orchestra – Imágenes Latinas
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Constelar – Demian Coca Jazz Orchestra – Neblina
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Jonas Schoen, Marc Secara’s Berlin Jazz Orchestra – Crosscurrent
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Massimo Morganti – Momenti
(Colours Jazz Orchestra)
GROUPS
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TARBABY, Oliver Lake – Dance of the Evil Toys (Clean Feed)(Orrin Evans, Eric Revis, Nasheet Waits)
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ARC Trio & The John Daversa Big Band – ARCeology: The Music of MSM Schmidt (Blue Canoe)
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Steve Cardenas, Ben Allison, Ted Nash – Healing Power: The Music of Carla Bley (Sunnyside)
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Orlando le Fleming, Will Vinson, Lage Lund – Life of the Party (Newvelle)(ft. Kurt Elling)
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Various Artists – A Beautiful Blue Moment (Storyville)(ft. Carsten Dahl, Tim Hagans, Johnny Aman, Jukkis Uotila)
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Firewash – The Changes
(ft. Perico Sambeat, ..) -
Meridian Odyssey – Earthshine (Origin)
BEATS, DJs & PRODUCERS, GROOVES & MOODS, SOUNDTRACKS ..
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DOMi & JD BECK – NOT TiGHT (Blue Note)
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Cory Henry – Operation Funk
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GoGo Penguin – Between Two Waves
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Emma-Jean Thackray – Yellow (Deluxe)
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Kibrom Birhane – Here And There
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Tlale Makhene – Busuku Nemini
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Anna Butterss – Activities
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Thandi Ntuli – Blk Elijah & The Children of Meroë
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Jules Brennan – Wamono
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Wu-Lu – LOGGERHEAD
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Imperial Boxmen – Imperial Boxmen
FEATURING GREEK ARTISTS
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Menios Gounaris (p) Trio – Set in Motion (Irida)(ft. Grigoris Theodoridis, Jason Wastor)
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Euripides Dionysiadis (b) – Aegean Suite(ft. David Lynch, Yoel Soto, Billy Kalistridis, ..)
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Thomas Mitrousis (g) – The Seed(Kostas Yaxoglou, Paraskevas Kitsos, Dimitris Klonis)