Chick Corea’s new album Antidote, recorded with his Spanish Heart Band, debuted on the Billboard Jazz Chart in the No. 4 spot.
Some fresh faces populated the Billboard Jazz Chart this week, with pianist Chick Corea’s flamenco-themed album Antidote making its debut at No. 4. While over in the JazzWeek Radio Chart, guitarist Dave Stryker and his retro-funk album Eight Track III entered its sixth week in the top position.
While Michael Blublé was able to reclaim the top spot in the Billboard Jazz Chart with his early 2019 release Love, he was joined by a batch of new releases from jazz newcomers and veterans alike. Prog-rock supergroup The Aristocrats — with guitarist Guthrie Govan, bassist Bryan Beller and drummer Macro Minnemann — landed in the No. 2 spot with the debut of their album You Know What…?, and just below, the songwriting duo Smith & Hay notched the No. 3 spot with the premiere of Jazz Part Two, a new collaboration with DJ/producer King Tech.
Chick Corea’s latest album, Antitode, was recorded with his Spanish Heart Band, a flamenco-charged eight-man band of Latin rhythm masters. It was released June 28 and makes its debut on Billboard at No. 4. On it, the prolific keyboardist plumbs through his vast catalog of Latin-inspired music, revisiting classic material like “Spain” and “Sometime Ago / La Fiesta” in a fresh new light. The Balance, a new album from South African piano legend (and 2019 NEA Jazz Master) Abdullah Ibrahim, debuted at No. 5.
Rounding out the Top 10 were Supreme by contemporary jazz bassist Julian Vaughn at No. 6; Love Will Find a Way by Earth, Wind & Fire frontman Philip Bailey at No. 7; and Once In a While by animation guru and more-than-occasional jazz crooner Seth MacFarlane at No. 8. The last two spots went to a pair of country stars paying tribute to Frank Sinatra: My Way by Willie Nelson at No. 9 and Let’s Be Frank by Trisha Yearwood at No. 10.
Guitarist Dave Stryker remained the champion of the JazzWeek Radio Charts with his album Eight Track III, which features hard-bop reimaginings of popular tunes from the 1970s like “Move On Up,” “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” and “We’ve Only Just Begun.” Below him came a one-two punch of veteran jazz all-stars, with vocalist Mary Stallings taking the No. 2 spot with her album Songs Were Made To Sing and pianist George Cables snagging the No. 3 spot with I’m All Smiles. New Zealand-born pianist Alan Broadbent and his trio took the No. 4 spot with their album New York Notes, and below that, keyboardist Larry Fuller came in at No. 5.
There was some gentle jockeying for position in the second half of the chart, but for the most part, all of the players remained the same. At No. 6, pianist Eric Reed held tight with his album Everybody Gets the Blues. One step down, Wynton Marsalis shifted a few slots to the No. 7 spot with his soundtrack to the film Bolden. Organist Akiko Tsuruga, whose new album Equal Time features drummer Scott Hamilton and guitarist Graham Dechter, claimed the No. 8 spot, and The Tierney Sutton Band secured the No. 9 position on the strength of their new album ScreenPlay, featuring arrangements of classic film songs. Bassist Nicki Parrott capped things off with her new album From New York To Paris at No. 10.
That’s it for this week’s chart update. Check back next week to see if your favorite new album made the cut.