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
Jon Batiste We Are Deluxe Edition Out Now: Musician/activist Jon Batiste has released a Deluxe Edition of his critically-acclaimed album We Are via Verve, which celebrates Black American culture and music while exploring themes of lineage, authenticity, excellence and evolution. This edition of the LP features six new tracks and several guests, including Tori Kelly, BJ The Chicago Kid, Abi Bernadoth, Big Chief Romeo and Big Freedia. Order it here.
25th Anniversary Edition of Legendary 1996 Eva Cassidy Album: A special remastered 25th Anniversary Edition of Eva Cassidy’s 1996 album, Live at Blues Alley, will be released on December 3 via Blix Street Records. It will be available on CD, digital formats and on vinyl for the first time. Live at Blues Alley was the only solo album released during the late singer’s short lifetime and documents her now legendary concert at Washington D.C.’s Blues Alley nightclub on January 3, 1996.
ISJAC Announces “Fundamental Freedoms” Commission for Women Jazz Composers: The International Society of Jazz Arrangers & Composers (ISJAC) has announced “Fundamental Freedoms,” a special commission opportunity for women jazz composers, including a $2,500 commission prize and a $500 travel allowance. The winning piece will also be premiered at ISJAC’s 2022 symposium this spring in Austin, Texas. Entries will be accepted through November 4. More details and application information here.
Lennie Tristano Limited Edition 6-CD Set Out Nov. 15: On November 15, Mosaic Records and Dot Time Records will release a 6-CD set offering a most comprehensive portrait of jazz luminary Lennie Tristano’s musical genius. Spanning over 20 years, Lennie Tristano Personal Recordings 1946-1970 features the piano great performing solo and alongside several notable outfits throughout the course of his career, with such notable artists as Billy Bauer, Lee Konitz, Zoot Sims and many more. This limited edition box-set will only be available HERE.
Album Announcements
David Janeway, Distant Voices (Steeplechase): Pianist David Janeway looks back and pays tribute to the man jazz pianists who have inspired and influenced him – including Hank Jones, Walter Bishop Jr., Bill Evans and more – on his latest album, Distant Voices, released on October 15. This is his third trio recording and the first for his working trio with Billy Hart on drums and Cameron Brown on bass. Order it here.
Itai Kriss and Telavana, Supermoon (self-released): Flutist/composer Itai Kriss, whose musical style encompasses Jazz, Latin and Middle Eastern music, continues this tradition of amalgamation on his sophomore album with his Telavana group, Supermoon. Released on October 8, Supermoon features a dynamic program inspired by astrology, as well as special guest artists Keisel Jiménez, Malaya Sol, J. Hoard and Shai Maestro. Stream it below.
Sara Schoenbeck, Sara Schoenbeck (Pyroclastic): Groundbreaking bassoonist Sara Schoenbeck continues to forge a path for her instrument of choice as a vehicle for improvised and contemporary composition music on her forthcoming self-titled album, due out November 26. This is a collection of duets with wide-ranging collaborators, including flutist Nicole Mitchell, guitarist Nels Cline, saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell, pianist Matt Mitchell, bassist Mark Dresser. Pre-order it here.
Mauricio J. Rodriguez, Luz (self-released): Bassist/composer/arranger Mauricio J. Rodriguez reinvents Latin jazz on Luz, infusing the music with surprising ideas. The album features Rodriguez on six-string E-bass, fretless E-bass and the standard string bass and finds him contributing four of the ten selections, performed alongside top talent. Luz is out now and you can order it HERE.
Live Music and Festival News
Kenny G Kicks Off The Miracles Holiday & Hits Tour 2021: Kenny G will kick off his The Miracles Holiday & Hit Tour of 2020 on December 2 at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan, Illinois. The shows will feature fresh takes on seasonal hits and fan favorites and will keep the GRAMMY-winning saxophonist on the road through January 1. Click here for tour dates, more info and tickets.
Calliope Brass To Make Rockport Debut: Acclaimed New York City-based, all-female brass quintet Calliope Brass will make its Rockport debut with a free community concert on October 20. The story-driven concert will take place at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Massachusetts, and feature a wide variety of styles – from pop to classical to swing. More here.
Rez Abbasi and Isabelle Olivier On Tour: Guitarist Rez Abbasi and harpist Isabelle Olivier are set to embark on their pandemic-delayed tour in support of their acclaimed 2019 release, OASIS. “It’ll be exciting to revisit and relive this music because it’s a highly unique project,” says Abbasi via an official statement. Joining them will be percussionist Michael Sarin. The tour is set to kick off on November 3 at the Embassy of France in Washington D.C. Find out more about all scheduled dates HERE.
Josh Sinton Celebrates 50th Birthday With Premiere of 4 freedoms: Acclaimed reedman/composer Josh Sinton will celebrate his 50th birthday with the premiere of his new piece, 4 freedoms, described via press release as “a powerful articulation of the politics Sinton has learned from the music of Duke Ellington, Anthony Braxton, Andrew Hill, Julius Hemphill and Henry Threadgill.” The concert will take place at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music on October 29. Tickets here. It will also be simultaneously broadcast on Sinton’s YouTube channel.
Stephane Wrembel’s “Django New Orleans” at New York’s Dizzy’s Club: New York’s Dizzy’s Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center will present guitarist Stephane Wrembel’s “Django New Orleans” with two shows per night on November 4-7. The show finds Wrembel blending the traditional sounds of New Orleans music with the voices of gypsy jazz guitar, paying homage to the legendary Django Reinhardt in the process. The performers for the shows include Bria Skonberg, Daisy Castro, Joe Correia, Scott Kettner, David Langlois, Nick Driscoll and Josh Kaye. Click here for tickets.
Featured photo by Art Streiber.
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