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
Hoboken To Install Frank Sinatra Statue: This December, a statue of Frank Sinatra will be installed in his namesake park on the waterfront of his hometown of Hoboken, New Jersey. The statue was sculpted by Carolyn D. Palmer and finds Ol’ Blue Eyes leaning on a lamppost, tipping his hat. The project was paid for by the city through private donations.
Brooklyn Conservatory of Music Announces Recipients of the Inaugural Jazz Leaders Fellowship: The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music (BKCM) has announced Jordyn Davis and Charenée Wade as the recipients of the inaugural Jazz Leader Fellowship. The fellowship aims to support emerging jazz musicians in creating original music, to support the careers of Black women and non-binary jazz musicians in order to increase their representation in the field, broaden the presence of BKCM in the Jazz community, and expose BKCM’s students to diverse emerging teachers. The fellowship comes with a $12,500 award and provides Davis and Wade with opportunities to work closely with the BKCM students and faculty. The program, which begins on August 1.
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Collectible Vinyl Reissue: Craft will celebrate Halloween this fall with the release of a collectible pumpkin-shaped vinyl album featuring Vince Guaraldi’s music from It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Pressed on orange wax, the 45-RPM LP features 17 selections from the 1966 animated TV special. The festive reissue also includes liner notes from Peanuts historian Derrick Bang, plus a 2018 introduction from the late producer Lee Mendelson. The reissue is out on September 17 and you can pre-order it here.
Victor Wooten Launches Five-Night Virtual Book Club: Award-winning bassist/composer Victory Wooten is launching a five-night virtual event titled The Spirit of Music Book Club tonight. The event takes an in-depth look at Wooten’s recently-released novel and audiobook The Spirit of Music: The Lesson Continues, a fable-like story following three musicians from around the world, who are mysteriously summoned to Nashville to join with Wooten to do battle against the “Phasers,” whose music-canceling headphones silence and destroy all musical sound. Find out more about the event here.
Album Announcements
2B3 Trio, Jimi (self-released): 2B3 Trio is formed by guitarist Mike Abbott, drummer Mike Marlier and B3 organist Jeff Jenkins. On their forthcoming album Jimi, due out August 5, they reimagine six Jimi Hendrix songs for organ trio, including “Purple Haze,” “Manic Depression,” “Hey Joe” and more. The album was recorded in December 2019 and arrangements are by Abbott and Jenkins. Pre-order Jimi here.
Altoizm, Altoizm (AFAR): Altoizm is a new three-headed saxophone supergroup led by Greg Ward, Rajiv Halim and Sharel Cassity. Their forthcoming self-titled debut album is out on July 16 via AFAR. It showcases their individual talent and real chemistry as a group via an all-original tracklist and sophisticated arrangements, with the three soloists backed by a rocksteady yet explosive rhythm section. Pre-sales for Altoizm start on July 2. More info here.
Jeff Lorber Fusion, Space-Time (Shanachie): Keyboardist/composer Jeff Lorber will release Space-Time, his new LP with his Jeff Lorber Fusion group on July 2 via Shanachie. The album features Lorber, Gary Novak and Jimmy Haslip performing an all-original program and one track penned by the late Chick Corea, as well as special guests including Hubert Laws, Bob Mintzer, Paul Jackson Jr. and Gerald Alright, among others. Click here to order.
Sarah Wilson, Kaleidoscope (Brass Tonic): Trumpeter/vocalist Sarah Wilson’s new album, Kaleidoscope, is due out July 16 via Brass Tonic and features original compositions shaped by jazz but influenced by a range of styles, including avant pop, Afro-Latin grooves and indie rock. The record finds her joined by an impressive lineup of improvisers: pianist Myra Melford, drummer Matt Wilson, violinist Charles Burnham, bassist Jerome Harris, and guitarist John Schott. Pre-order Kaleidoscope here.
Live Music and Festival News
DCJazzPrix Finalists Announced: The DC Jazz Festival announced last week the three finalists for this year’s edition of its DCJazzPrix, the international competition created to recognize and support top emerging jazz band talent. They are the Giveton Gelin Quintet, Camilla George, and Dayramir Gonzalez & Habana enTRANCé. All three will perform on September 5 during the DCJazzPrix Finals at Union Stage, as part of the 17th Annual DC JazzFest. More here.
Ledisi Sings Nina Simone Live: Ledisi offers fresh orchestral takes on seven selections from the varied musical repertoire of Nina Simone on her forthcoming album. Ledisi Sings Simone features the Metropole Orkest and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra and will be released on July 23. To celebrate the release, she will perform the record at The Hollywood Bowl on July 24 and Newport Jazz on July 31. Click here for more tour dates.
Detroit Jazz Festival Plans for In-Person Audiences: The Detroit Jazz Festival unveiled last week plans for a return to in-person audiences at the annual Labor Day weekend, beginning on September 3 and running through September 6. Plans include a revised festival footprint including three stages located in the downtown Hart Plaza and Campus Martius areas. Headliners this year will include Dee Dee Bridgewater, Herbie Hancock, Gregory Porter, Keyon Harrold, Omar Sosa and the Havana-Detroit Jazz Project, and Kurt Elling’s Big Blind. More here.
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