The Week in Jazz is your roundup of new and noteworthy stories from the jazz world. It’s a one-stop destination for the music news you need to know. Let’s take it from the top.
Noteworthy
2022 JPN Conference, November 3-4: The Jazz Promotion Network (JPN) will take its annual conference to Belfast, Northern Ireland, for the first time on November 3-4. The two-day event will feature industry roundtables, keynote speakers, artist showcases and networking opportunities for anyone working in or around jazz. Key themes explored will include education, diversity and equality, professional development and international collaboration. More here.
Trombone Shorty on Colbert: Trombone Shorty performed an electrifying rendition of his new song, “Lifted” with an eleven-piece and on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last week. This is the New Orleans music icon’s third appearance on The Late Show. Watch it via the player below. “Lifted” is the title track from his new album, his first in five years, released earlier this month.
Sun Ra House in Philadelphia Is Now a Historic Landmark: Pitchfork reports that the Sun Ra House has been listed as an official historic landmark in the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. The three-story Philadelphia building, also known as the Arkestral Institute of Sun Ra, has been a cradle for Sun Ra’s evolving Arkestra since the 1960s. Current Arkestra bandleader Marshall Allen has been living there since 1968. Inclusion in the register will ensure its protection and upkeep.
New Jazz Is Dead Compilation: Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad have released a new official Jazz Is Dead compilation. Jazz Is Dead 011 features artists and guests from their label’s second series of stellar outings, including Lonnie Liston Smith, Jean Carne, Tony Allen, Henry Franklin, Phil Ranelin, Wendell Harrison, Garrett Saracho and Katalyst. Listen to it via the player below.
The 92nd Street Y Announces Major Post-COVID Transformation: Historic cultural institution The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) has announced its post-pandemic relaunch under a new brand identity. The relaunch will also include increased investment in digital content via the introduction of a new digital platform, Roundtable, and the renovation of its historic home on the corner of 92nd St. and Lexington Avenue. More here.
Vincent Peirani on JAZZIZ Travel: Vincent Peirani is the latest guest of our JAZZIZ Travel podcast series. The French-born accordion virtuoso talks about two sides of his creative personality, as showcased on his two latest releases: Abrazo, his duo collaboration with saxophonist Emile Parisien, and Jokers, his first trio venture, released earlier this year. Listen to our podcast conversation with Vincent Peirani via the player below.
New and Upcoming Albums
Brandon Coleman, Interstellar Black Space (Brainfeeder): Multifaceted keyboardist/vocalist Brandon Coleman released his 16-track magnum opus and latest funk odyssey on May 20 via Brainfeeder. Interstellar Black Space, which Coleman describes as “a celestial encounter for your eardrums” and a collection of “astral Negro music” also features contributions from fellow jazz heavyweights Kamasi Washington, Ryan Porter and more.
John McLaughlin, The Montreux Years (BMG): The latest installment in Montreux Jazz Festival and BMG’s The Montreux Years is a collection of John McLaughlin’s finest performances at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Featuring him in several configurations, the wide-ranging performances were captured between 1978 and 2016 and are presented with audio restored and mastered in a set curated and compiled by the guitar legend himself.
John Scofield, John Scofield (ECM): John Scofield enters into a dialogue with himself and charts and intimate path through the styles and idioms that he has traversed up until today on his first-ever solo guitar recording. The self-titled LP, available now on ECM, finds him revisiting some of his own compositions and offering unique reinterpretations of classic tunes, resulting in a balanced and thorough picture of the musician.
Tierney Sutton, Paris Sessions 2 (BMF Jazz): Vocalist Tierney Sutton showcases her chemistry with Parisian guitarist/arranger Serge Merlaud on Paris Sessions 2, offering an intimate collection of reinterpretations of classic songs. This follow-up to her acclaimed Paris Sessions from 2014 also features legendary flutist Hubert Laws on five songs and is available now.
Live Music and Festival News
Jazz North Announces New Northern Line Roster: Jazz North, the jazz development agency covering the north of England, has announced the new roster of artists for its touring support scheme, Northern Line. Hannabiell & the Midnight Blue Collective, MC Nelson, TC & The Groove Family, Marco Woolf, Yaatri and Ni Maxine are the six bands awarded a place in the artist support program. The latest roster of artists for the 2022-2023 period was chosen through an open application process and selected by UK-wide industry experts and tastemakers.
San Jose Jazz Summer Fest Announces Second Run of Artists for 2022 Edition: San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2022 has announced its second round of confirmed artists set to appear at the festival. They include Lee Fields & The Expressions, Durand Jones & The Indications, Stanley Clarke, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Raul Midón and Alex Cuba, Keyon Harrold, Cameron Graves and many more. The festival is set to run from August 12-14 in and around Plaza de César Chavez Park in downtown San Jose, California.
Oslo Jazz Festival, August 13-20: The Oslo Jazz Festival in Norway will take place from August 13-20. The recently-announced program offers a mix of legends and young jazz comets, national and international, performing in various venues throughout the city. The opening concert will be performed by the Pat Metheny Trio. Other artists scheduled to perform are Brandee Younger, Anthony Braxton, Lakecia Benjamin, the Mingus Dynasty and more.
DC Jazz Festival and Nordic Embassies Announce 2022 Nordic Jazz Festival Partnership: The 16th Annual Nordic Jazz Festival, presented by the DC Jazz Festival and the Nordic Embassies to the United States, will take place at sites around Washington D.C. from June 17-22. Artists scheduled to perform include Orrin Evans Trio from the U.S., Joonas Haavisto Trio from Finland, Kresten Osgood/Cooper Moore from Denmark/U.S., Ole Mathisen Renderings Quartet from Norway, and Sunna Gunnlaugs Trio from Iceland. Evans and his trio will perform a celebration of the unique crossover music of acclaimed Swedish trio E.S.T., whose leader Esbjorn Svensson tragically passed in June 2008. More here.
Kris Davis and Diatom Ribbons at Village Vanguard: Pianist/composer Kris Davis and her dynamic Diatom Ribbons group, which mixes jazz lyricism with hip-hop and groove music, will perform live at New York’s Village Vanguard on May 24-29. Joining Davis are Terri Lyne Carrington, Val Jeanty, Trevor Dunn and Julian Lage. The sets will be recorded for a forthcoming album on Davis’ Pyroclastic Records. Tickets here.
Featured photo by Nick Suttle.
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