The Week in Jazz is your roundup of new and noteworthy stories from the jazz world. It’s a one-stop destination for the music news you need to know. Let’s take it from the top.
Noteworthy
Overlooked Charles Mingus Album Reissued Soon: On October 28, New Land will reissue A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry with Charles Mingus. Originally recorded in 1957 with an all-star band, the album is often overlooked from the jazz legend’s vast catalog and stands today as a sublime conceptual recording. Released as a remastered expanded 2-LP set, the new reissue includes bonus tracks and outtakes, plus rare photographs and words from original pianist Bob Hammer.
Open Auditions for JPI’s Fall Youth Training Workshop: Jazz Power Initiative (JPI) is opening its doors to 5th-8th grade students for auditions for its fall 2022 Youth Training Workshop. The series of two auditions will take place on September 24-October 1 at 5030 Broadway in Inwood. The auditions will be led by pianist/composer/educator Dr. Eli Yamin with vocalist/educator Antoinette Montague. Those who complete the process will be eligible for JPI’s 8-week after-school program in jazz voice, dance and theater running from early October to December 2022. More here.
Lyle Lovett on JAZZIZ Not What You Think: JAZZIZ Publisher Michael Faigen interviewed Lyle Lovett and you can watch the interview via the player below. The singer/songwriter recently released his new album, 12th of June, earlier this year. You can also click here to watch our recent interview with actor Jonathan Frakes.
Robert Glasper Groundbreaking Album Gets 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition Treatment: Blue Note will release a special 10th-anniversary deluxe edition of Robert Glasper Experiment’s groundbreaking Black Radio. The 3-LP set will be released on October 28 and features the original GRAMMY-winning album, plus additional bonus tracks, the remix EP Black Radio Recovered. It also comes with a booklet with rare studio photos and new liner notes by Glasper.
New Snarky Puppy Single: Snarky Puppy have shared “Belmont,” a new track from their upcoming album, along with a video from its live-in-studio recording session, which you can watch via the player below. Empire Central is Snarky Puppy’s love letter to Dallas, Texas, the city that nurtured them after they formed while in the Jazz Studies program at the University of North Texas. The album will be released on September 30 via GroundUP and is included in our list of ten new albums released this month that you need to know about.
JAZZIZ Podcast Launches with Connie Han Interview: We recently launched our brand new exciting podcast interview series, The JAZZIZ Podcast, by sharing an interview with Connie Han. Click here to listen to it. Han will be releasing her new album, Secrets of Inanna, on September 23 via Mack Avenue Records.
New and Upcoming Albums
Makaya McCraven, In These Times (International Anthem/Nonesuch/XL): Producer/musician Makaya McCraven continues to collapse space and transcend boundaries with his new album, In These Times, due out September 23. Over seven years in the making, this epic and expansive record balances self-expression with broadly communicative odd-meter original compositions, drawing on several influences and featuring contributions from over a dozen musicians.
Catherine Russell, Send for Me (Dot Time): Vocalist Catherine Russell interprets lesser-known gems on her forthcoming album, Send for Me, released on April 1 via Dot Time, a follow-up to her GRAMMY-nominated 2019 full-length, Alone Together. These are “songs that inspire or touch me in some way,” explains Russell via a press release. “When I find a song I like, it haunts me until I learn it.”
Adam Weinberg, Laugh, Cry, Grief, Hope (Regime): Singer/fingerstyle guitarist Adam Weinberg released Laugh, Cry, Grief, Hope on May 13. Described via a press release as “an internal meditation of personal loss, healing and genuine reflection of finding happiness,” this is Weinberg’s first lyrical album and comes with a 32-page companion book and album cover artwork by the late San Diego digital illustrator Mel Marcelo.
Joey Alexander, Origin (Mack Avenue): Pianist/bandleader/composer Joey Alexander will release Origin, his first album featuring all originals on May 20. The album, which also marks his Mack Avenue debut, features longtime collaborators Larry Grenadier and Kendrick Scott, plus special guests Gilad Hekselman and Chris Potter. You can also click here to listen to our recent podcast interview with Alexander for our JAZZIZ Travel podcast series.
Live Music and Festival News
Elio Villafranca Album Release Concerts at Smoke Jazz Club: Acclaimed Cuban pianist/composer Elio Villafranca will celebrate the release of his new album at Smoke Jazz Club, alongside his Jass Syncopators. The album release concerts will take place at New York’s famed jazz venue, which recently celebrated its reopening after being closed for two years, on September 29-October 2. Tickets here.
Detroit Jazz Festival Wraps Up: The Detroit Jazz Festival returned to in-person performance this year, the 42nd in its history, on September 2-5. Its program featured several highlights, including Chucho Valdés as the first Cuban Artist in Residence in the festival’s history and a mindblowing set by guitarist Bill Frisell, pictured below, one of this year’s festival headliners. By the way, Frisell will be featured in the upcoming JAZZIZ print quarterly, all about guitarists. Subscribe to the JAZZIZ print quarterly issues HERE.
American Pianists Awards Announces Jazz on the Ave: The American Pianists Association has announced that all five finalists of the American Pianists Awards will give short performances at a free community event, Jazz on the Ave, to take place on September 18 at the Madam Walker Legacy Center in Indianapolis. The event will be emceed by community leader Katasha Butler and WFYI radio personality Matthew Socey. The five finalists are Caelan Cardello, Esteban Castro, Paul Cornish, Thomas Linger and Isaiah J. Thompson.
15th Angel City Jazz Festival, October 21-November 5: The Angel City Jazz Festival will run at diverse and popular venues in Los Angeles, California, on October 21-November 5. This year’s event will host over a dozen concerts and open with a live performance by Luciana Souza and Vince Mendoza, presenting new arrangements of Brazilian classics for big band on October 21 at The Ford in Hollywood. Other artists scheduled to perform include Marquis Hill, John Escreet’s Seismic Shift, the David Murray Trio and more.
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