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 always listening to new tunes, we always know just what to recommend. That’s why we’ll bring you a roundup of ten songs each week, featuring music from our favorite new albums, singles and other tunes that may have flown under your radar.
This week’s playlist opens with “Encantados” by pianist and composer Amaro Freitas, featuring Shabaka Hutchings, Hamid Drake and Aniel Someillan and serves as the lead single from Frietas’ forthcoming album, Y’Y, due out on March 1. Patricia Vonne recalls Christmas of the past and gives a nod to the stylings of the 1940s and 1950s in her new single, “Christmas Is My Favorite Time of the Year.” “Foreverland” is the title track from Keyon Harrold’s forthcoming album and features special guests Laura Mvula and Chris Dave, as well as longtime friend Robert Glasper on keyboard and synthesizer. Saxophonist Cory Weeds and his eleven-piece Little Big Band offer their take on Horace Silver’s “Home Cookin’” as their latest album’s title track.
Jasper Høiby debuts his new piano trio, 3 Elements, on Three Elements: Earthness, featuring a profound revisitation of the album’s title track from Planet B. Vocalist Dianne Fraser pays tribute to the music and lyrics of theatre and film composer Leslie Bricusse on her debut album, You and I, including a cover of “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. The 8-Bit Big Band, helmed by composer and arranger Charlie Rosen, returned with their fourth album of interpretations of music from across the video game multiverse, Game Changer, featuring special guests, including trumpeter and vocalist Benny Benack III on “You Wouldn’t Know” from the game Lego Dimensions Portal.
Keyboardist and composer Kait Dunton offers a funky rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” on A Very Keyboard Christmas, a collection of eleven holiday classics reimagined and arranged from a 1970s jazz-funk perspective. “For All We Know” marks the return of Oregon-based jazz singer and songwriter Halie Loren and her first new music since her 2018 acclaimed album, From the Wild Sky. In our playlist’s conclusive track, Catalan singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Lau Noah collaborates with Chris Thile on “Lesser Men Would Call It Love,” one of the tracks from A DOS, a genre-blurring collection of original duets with many of her friends and heroes from the world of roots, jazz and global music.
Listen to this week’s JAZZIZ Editors’ Choice Playlist via the player below.
Featured photo courtesy of Edition Records.
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