Blind piano prodigy Matthew Whitaker’s new album Now Hear This made its debut in the Top 10 of the JazzWeek Radio Charts. (Photo: Courtesy the artist)
Stasis was the name of the game in the Billboard Jazz Chart this week. All 10 albums remained frozen in their place from the previous week, which was excellent news for Michael Bublé, whose album Love enters its 40th week on the cart and its 36th in the No. 1 spot. The status quo also means that drum legend Jimmy Cobb, who played on trumpeter Miles Davis’ legendary album Kind of Blue (which this year celebrates its 60th anniversary) holds on at No. 10. Below is the complete Top 10 list:
1. Love, Michael Bublé
2. Kings Left Behind, Ikebe Shakedown
3. Crossroads, Rick Braun
4. Follow the Leader, Jonathan Hay and Benny Reid featuring Mike Smith
5. Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album, John Coltrane
6. Good Time, Ranky Tanky
7. Anatomy of Angels: Live at the Village Vanguard, Jon Batiste
8. Love Is Here To Stay, Tony Bennett & Diana Krall
9. Jazz Part Two, Smith & Hay X King Tech
10. This I Dig of You, Jimmy Cobb
Meanwhile, the JazzWeek Radio Chart, which monitors album spins as reported by radio stations, experienced some rejuvenation courtesy of two new albums by young female vocalists. Twenty-eight-year-old Jazzmeia Horn’ cracked the Top 10 in her first week on the charts, nailing down a solid showing at No. 4 with her new album Love and Liberation. (The gifted, socially-conscious singer is the cover subject of our Fall 2019 issue!) While Veronica Swift, 25, placed just a few slots down with her new album Confessions, tying pianist Michel Camilo for the No. 8 spot. Both vocalists have been riding a wave of momentum on the strength of their new releases, appearing at international jazz festivals and selling out large-capacity performing arts centers around the U.S. Yet another new face in the Top 10 was Jamaican-American pianist Monty Alexander, whose new album Wareika Hill: RastaMonk Vibrations re-imagines the music of Thelonious Monk through the lens of reggae, ska, calypso and dup-step (You can listen to our podcast interview with Alexander here). He tied for the 10th spot with fellow pianist Matthew Whitaker, whose new album Now Hear This took a similarly revisionist approach to jazz classics, approaching tunes like “Yardbird Suite” and “Freedom Jazz Dance” from the angle of pop and R&B. Below are the Top 10 albums:
1. Partners In Time, Mike LeDonne
2. Antidote, Chick Corea and The Spanish Heart Band
3. Samba Jazz Alley, Antonio Adolfo
4. Love and Liberation, Jazzmeia Horn
5. This I Dig of You, Jimmy Cobb
6. I’m All Smiles, George Cables
7. Night Mode, Verve Jazz Ensemble
8. Confessions, Veronica Swift
8. Essence, Michel Camilo
10. Wareika Hill: RastaMonk Vibrations, Monty Alexander
That’s it for this week’s jazz chart update. Check back next week to see if you’re favorite new album ade the list.