If you’re looking for some great new music to discover this weekend, look no further than our weekly New Release Cheat Sheet.
New Songs and Videos
Kristen Lee Sergeant, “Sisyphus” [Video Premiere]
Vocalist Kristen Lee Sergeant revisits her formative feel for musical drama on her upcoming album, Falling. She paints a vivid musical portrait and showcases her natural penchant for storytelling on “Sisyphus.” The track is inspired by the mythical figure in Homer’s Iliad, who is punished for trying to resist death. Here, Sergeant is accompanied by pianist Jeb Patton, bassist Hannah Marks, drummer Jay Sawyer, cellist Jody Redhage Ferber and saxophonist Ted Nash. Falling is due out February 25 via Tiger Turn.
Gideon King & City Blog, “Dealing” [Video Premiere]
“Dealing” is a track from Gideon King & City Blog’s new EP, Whatchya Gonna Do, released today. The NYC-based soul/pop/jazz fusion outfit is led by guitarist Gideon King and a vehicle for his experimentation with complex harmonics, rhythms, and abstract lyrical patterns. King explains via a statement that “Dealing” is “about New York City, my favorite city in the world and where I grew up, and how it has been ravaged in so many ways by this virus. I wrote the tune thinking I won’t NYC no matter what. It’s New York and there isn’t anything like it in the universe.”
Joy Guidry, “Voices of the Ancestors” [Song Premiere]
NYC-based bassoonist/composer Joy Guidry shares his statement of self-love and affirmation on his new album, Radical Acceptance, on April 2. Its program ranges from spoken word to spirited free jazz and includes “Voices of the Ancestors,” premiering below and drawn from Guidry’s first time improvising live at Riverside Church for their Stolen Hands, Stolen Lands production. “I felt this inner voice that was once a whisper screaming from my soul out through my bassoon,” he recalls. “This was a performance that I will always hold near to my heart.” Pre-order Radical Acceptance here.
New Albums
Tyler Mitchell Featuring Marshall Allen, Dancing Shadows (Mahakala)
Bassist Tyler Mitchell and saxophonist Marshall Allen, who worked together in the Sun Ra Arkestra in the ’80s, reunite on a new project described as “the perfect synthesis of freedom and constraint, hard bop and pure sonic texture.” Dancing Shadows includes sextet renditions of compositions by Mitchell, Allen, Sun Ra and a take on Thelonious Monk’s “Skippy.” Order it here.
Immanuel Wilkins, The 7th Hand (Blue Note)
The 7th Hand is Immanuel Wilkins’ follow-up to his acclaimed 2020 debut, Omega. It showcases the saxophonist’s compositional talent with a seven-movement suite exploring the relationship between presence and nothingness, performed by his original quartet with Micah Thomas, Daryl Johns and Kweku Sumbry, plus special guests. Order The 7th Hand here.
The Temptations, Temptations 60 (UMe)
Legendary Motown vocal group The Temptations group celebrate their 60th anniversary with a new album of nearly all-original material, headed by founding member Otis Williams and featuring special guest contributions. The album is described by the group as a “powerful fusion of hip-hop, smooth jazz and soulful flavors.” Order Temptations 60 here.
Featured photo by Jordan Frey.
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