If you’re looking for some great new music to discover this weekend, look no further than our weekly New Release Cheat Sheet. This week, a rare John Coltrane alternate take, a preview of Snarky Puppy’s new album, John Taylor’s tribute to Leonard Cohen and more!
New Music and Videos
James Taylor, “Coming Back To You”
Blue Note Records will release a star-studded tribute album to much-missed legendary singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen on October 14. Here It Is: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen is produced by Larry Klein, his longtime friend, and presents stunning renditions of some of Cohen’s most profound songs, performed by guest vocalists Norah Jones, Iggy Pop, Gregory Porter, Luciana Souza and Peter Gabriel among others. The announcement of the album’s release comes with the release of its first single, James Taylor’s version of “Coming Back To You,” which you can hear via the player below.
Snarky Puppy, “Bet”
Snark Puppy, one of the top instrumental ensembles in the world, shared the latest preview of their upcoming album, Empire Central, which will be released on September 30 via GroundUP. Recorded live-in-studio, the album pays tribute to their hometown of Dallas, Texas, and the incendiary new single, “Bet,” is a hard-hitting track inspired by Dallas bandleader/music director R.C. Williams. Snarky Puppy have also recently announced more upcoming Europe and U.S. tour dates. Click here to check out where they will be playing next.
John Coltrane, “Blue Train – Alternate Take 8”
Blue Note will release two special Tone Poet vinyl editions of John Coltrane’s Blue Train, in celebration of its 55th anniversary, as part of its Tone Poet Audiophile series. One is a 1-LP mono pressing of the original album. The other is a 2-LP stereo collection, The Complete Masters, that also includes seven tracks never-before-released on vinyl, including an alternate take on the title track that you can hear via the player below. The Complete Masters also comes with a booklet featuring never-before-seen photos by Francis Wolff and an essay by Ashley Kahn. Both versions will be released on September 16.
New Albums
Harish Raghavan, In Tense (Whirlwind)
Bassist/composer Harish Raghavan follows up his 2019 debut, Calls for Action, with a brand new thoughtful and captivating album of all-original material. In Tense was recorded at the end of 2020 and is a response to that year’s monumental events, written specifically for the exceptional band of drummer Eric Harland, guitarist Charles Altura, Joel Ross on vibraphone and marimba, and Morgan Guerin on woodwinds.
Lauren Henderson, La Bruja (Brontosaurus)
Versatile vocalist Lauren Henderson will release a new 11-track collection of originals and carefully curated Latin jazz standards, featuring Joel Ross, Nick Tannura, Gabe Shinder, Sean Mason, John Chin, Eric Wheeler and Joe Dyson. The album, due out July 29, is titled La Bruja and takes its name from the Spanish word for ‘the witch,’ reclaiming the meaning of the word while placing an emphasis on the resilience of women.
DOMi & JD BECK, NOT TiGHT (APESHIT/Blue Note)
DOMi & JD BECK has been called the internet’s most hyped jazz duo and praised for its hyperarticulate strain of beat music. NOT TiGHT marks their debut album on Andreson .Paak’s new label APESHIP in partnership with Blue Note, and finds them doing their thing, joined by an impressive lineup of star guests, including Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Herbie Hancock and Thundercat to name but a few.
Featured photo courtesy of Blue Note Records.
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