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 Monday, 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…
“If It Wasn’t For You” is a heartrending ballad by PJ Morton, included on the recently-released expanded Deluxe Edition of his ambitious and visionary album, Watch the Sun, released earlier this year. “Dancing Stars” is a track from a forthcoming full-length collaboration between South Korean vocalist SongYi Jeon and Brazilian guitarist Vinicius Gomes. Straight-ahead jazz saxophonist Sam Taylor recorded a classy version of Benny Golson’s “Out of the Past” for his third album as a leader, Let Go. On his new album, Giallo, British jazz talent Robohands (a.k.a. Andy Baxter) is partly inspired by Italian Giallo film soundtracks of the late 1970s and 1980s, as well as the experimental sounds of pioneering krautrock bands like Tangerine Dream and NEU!
New York City jazz vocalist Molly Ryan raises spirits with her new single, “Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella” from her fifth album, Sweepin’ the Blues Away. Guitarist Hedvig Mollestad’s new album, Maternity Beat, features the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, the full power of which is unleashed on the track “On the Horizon, Part 2,” which ranks among the most intense moments of the record. Jason Yeager wrote “Blues for Billy Pilgrim” shortly after reading Slaughterhouse-Five. The composition is included on his new album, celebrating the legacy of its author Kurt Vonnegut and released on the year of his 100th birthday anniversary.
Jesse Harris sets a beautiful jazz melody amid torrid distortion on “Hummingbird” from his new album, Silver Balloon“Chemical X” is a previously-unreleased track by Julius Rodriguez, included on the Deluxe Edition of his major-label debut album, Let Sound Tell All, released earlier this year. Verve has announced the vinyl reissue of Pharoah Sanders’ Karma as the closing release of its audiophile Acoustic Sounds series. As such, we revisit the tenor saxophonist’s “The Creator Has a Master Plan,” a seminal work that is regarded by many as an anthem of the Spiritual Jazz movement.
Listen to this week’s JAZZIZ Editors’ Choice Playlist via the player below.
Featured photo courtesy of the artist.
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