The editors of JAZZIZ have the good fortune of being able to listen to new music before it’s officially released in stores and streaming platforms. And because we’re listening to new tunes all the time, we know just what to recommend. That’s why, each Monday, we’ll be bringing you a roundup of ten songs, featuring music from our favorite new albums, singles and other tunes that may have flown under your radar. And, for good measure, we’ll be throwing in some “golden oldies” as well…
Norah Jones has shared her cover of Ray Charles’ “Hallelujah, I Love Him So” from her first sessions demos. This is one of the 22 previously-unreleased tracks included on the expanded version of her seminal debut album, Come Away With Me, due out April 29. Joy On Fire has dropped an eclectic jazz-punk ripper with a Stooges-inspired tune from guitarist John Paul Carillo. “Selfies” is from their upcoming LP, States of America, which will be released on June 11. “Riding the Beam” from producer The Lasso and singer/rapper A. Billi Free reminds us that everything is there when we are open to receive. This is one of the tracks from their collaborative album, Holy Body Roll. The track also features the New Breed Brass Band.
Multifaceted keyboardist/vocalist Brandon Coleman distills the essence of funk into a brief but scorching new single, “Blast Off,” the lead single from his forthcoming new album, Interstellar Black Space. “Kucheza” is a new genre-defying single from Shane Cooper & MABUTA, the six-piece instrumental band from Johannesburg, South Africa. “I wrote this song during the South African springtime,” says Cooper via a statement. “It’s loosely inspired by Masakandi music, and is all about playing and dancing.” “The Man Who Never Sleep” is a track from a previously-unissued Charles Mingus concert at London’s Ronnie Scott’s from 1971, released via Resonance Records this past Record Store Day, April 23, one day after the day of the jazz legend’s 100th birthday anniversary.
Chad Lawson reveals the graceful fluidity of his artistry on his new single, the solo piano composition “to hold the stars in the palm of your hand.” PJ Morton brings together two of his biggest musical heroes, Stevie Wonder and Nas, on “Be Like Water,” the spiritual centerpiece of his forthcoming album, Watch the Sun. Guitarist Ian Wardenski continues his exploration between scholarship and performance on “Before Long,” the opening track from his latest album, Trust. Craft Recordings issued a limited Record Store Day edition of the seminal 1957 LP, Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section and we honor it by ending this week’s playlist with one of its highlights: a take on Chano Pozo’s “Tin Tin Deo.”
Listen to this week’s JAZZIZ Editors’ Choice Playlist via the player below!
Featured photo courtesy of Craft Recordings.
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