For her latest album, violinist Regina Carter puts a unique spin on the term “swing state.”
The multi-GRAMMY-nominated recording artist and 2006 MacArthur Fellow has released Swing States: Harmony in the Battleground on Tiger Tune/eOne, and with it she delivers a poignant and poetic take on the most urgent topics of our political moment — the impending election, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests, among them. The 14-track collection brings together a collection of likeminded artists in John Daversa (trumpet, flugelhorn), Kabir Sehgal (bass, percussion), Harvey Mason (drums), Jon Batiste (piano) and Alexis Cuadrado (bass).
The project was a long time in the making — at least conceptually. Its impetus was the election of Donald Trump in 2016. Angered by the sheer volume of registered voters who decided not to vote in 2016, Regina reflected, “voting is a civic duty and an extremely important responsibility, even more so now as we are living in surreal times…we have become a divided country of Red vs. Blue, Us vs. Them or Not Our Kind and that pot is starting to boil over.” She views her new album as a musical antidote to this strain of divisiveness and as a call to music fans everywhere to awaken from political lethargy. “The Swing States project is a musical contribution that I hope will help galvanize folks to get out, exercise their right to vote and encourage their brothers and sisters to do so as well,” she said.
We’ve included the crisply swinging track “Pennsylvania” in our Weekly Discover Playlist, which also includes a version of “America the Beautiful” by vocalist Gregory Porter, as well as new tunes from Bill Frisell, Christian McBride, JD Allen and others.
As writer Whitney Balliett once said, “Jazz is the sound of surprise.” Our Weekly Discover playlist will take your ears to new places with the latest sounds from your favorite artists — and some you should definitely get to know. Catch up on albums that came out over the weekend, newly released singles and other tunes that may have flown under your radar. Stream now on Spotify or on your favorite music service using the links below.
Pennsylvania
Regina Carter, Jon Batiste, John Daversa, Harvey Mason
Swing States: Harmony in the Battleground
America The Beautiful
Gregory Porter
America The Beautiful
Valentine
Bill Frisell
Valentine
Grace And Mercy
Immanuel Wilkins
Pie Blues
Christian McBride Big Band
These Foolish Things (Hit Parade Radio Version)
Benny Goodman
Human Spirit (Radio Edit)
Michael Silverman, Jeff Lorber, Vinnie Colaiuta, Jimmy Haslip, Michael Thompson
Human Spirit
Dance with Me (Si Tú No Bailas Conmigo)
Carol Welsman, Juan Luis Guerra 4.40
Dance with Me
Copasetic
Charles Tolliver, Lenny White, Buster Williams
Connect
The G Thing
JD Allen
As If The Ghost – Was Me!?
Terje Rypdal
As If The Ghost – Was Me!?