If you’re looking for some great new music to discover this weekend, look no further than our weekly New Release Cheat Sheet.
New Songs and Videos
AS IS, “O Holy Night” [Song Premiere]
AS IS, the American duo of guitarists Alan Schulman and vocalist Stacey Schulman, reimagined the traditional Christmas carol “O Holy Night” into a samba-esque arrangement. The single, premiering via the player below and officially out on December 3, was arranged by AS IS and produced by James McKinney of Infinite Icon Productions. It also features the rhythm section of Brazilian-born brothers drummer/percussionist Alejandro Lucini, and marks the duo’s first single since their 2018 sophomore release, Here’s To Life. Pre-save here.
Sweet Megg, “Santa Baby”
Meaghan Farrell, a.k.a. Sweet Megg, adds to the holiday tapestry with her cover of the popular Christmas classic, “Santa Baby” popularized by Eartha Kitt in 1953. Sweet Megg’s take finds the vocalist blending her love of jazz and America. It is performed with a group of jazz musicians on the Turtle Bay Records label and was produced by John Atkinson from BigTone Records, who specializes in antique recording equipment. “We wanted to create something fun and vintage for the holidays,” says Megg via a press release. “Everything you hear is live and recorded on authentic equipment from the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s.”
Art Morris, “Baby It’s Cold Outside” and “Silent Night”
Singer Art Morris has shared two new holiday-themed tracks. The first is a charming cover of “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” featuring guest vocals by Dutch jazz singer Laura Fygi, premiering below. The second is a haunting duet with pop star Tiffany on “Silent Night,” complete with an ethereal electric guitar solo. Both tracks appear on Morris’ forthcoming EP, An Art Morris Christmas, due out December 3. The EP includes other perennial favorites, “White Christmas” and “Let It Snow,” and are given a modern twist, courtesy of producer Brad Cox. Pre-order An Art Morris Christmas here.
New Albums
Christian McBride & Inside Straight, Live at the Village Vanguard (Mack Avenue)
Christian McBride’s twelfth release on Mack Avenue documents his live performance at New York’s venerated Village Vanguard from December 2014 with his star-studded Inside Straight quartet, featuring Carl Allen, Steve Wilson, Eric Reed and Warren Wolf. This is also a companion piece to his 2015 live trio recording of the same name, Live at the Village Vanguard. Order it here.
Matthew Shipp, Codebreaker (TAO Forms)
Matthew Shipp continues to discover new territories on his introspective new solo piano LP, Codebreaker. “I’m interested in trying to wring all of the harmonics from the piano that I possibly can, and with that in mind, any set of harmonics has a set of melodic fragments that are implied,” explains Shipp via a press release. Codebreaker was released on November 5 via drummer Whit Dickey’s label TAO Forms. Order it here.
Benny Benack III with the Steven Feifke Big Band, Season’s Swingin Greetings (Cellar Music)
Trumpeter/vocalist Benny Benack III’s collaboration with pianist Steven Feifke is a brand new big band holiday-themed full-length, Season’s Swingin’ Greetings, released on November 19 on Cellar Music. The record includes arrangements of holiday classics as well as brand new compositions. It marks the two close friends’ first release as co-leaders and will also be available in a Deluxe Edition package. Order it here.
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