My top pick this week is:

JAZZ: RILEY – Riley Mulherkar – Westerlies Records

This audacious debut album from trumpeter/composer Mulherkar features two producers (Rafiq Bhatia and Chris Pattishall) surrounding the solo trumpet work of Mulherkar on a selection of originals and covers.

On his website, Mulherkar says of the album, “Our mantra was to make a record that sounds how jazz makes me feel – even if it doesn’t sound like jazz all the time.”  For my ears this sounds very much like jazz all the time – but the sonic world in which it is presented offers something wholly original.

Of course, this concept only works if Mulherkar is performing at his best. And he is. I strongly recommend this album and suggest you keep an eye on Riley Mulherkar.

The rest of my picks of the best of what’s New In Music This Week: February 16^th are:

CLASSICAL/FILM MUSIC: LES CHOSES DE LA VIE – CINEMA II – Renaud Capuçon – Erato

This album by violinist Capuçon is a sequel to his 2018 album Cinema. He celebrates the work of French film composers such as Georges Delerue; Alexandre Desplat; Francis Lai; Maurie Jarre; Philippe Sarde, Gabriel Yared and more.

Capuçon peforms with Les Siécles conducted by Duncan Ward. The arrangements are all quite good and some are particularly impressive. Who knew that the theme from Love Story could sound fresh. My favorite track is Jarre’s music from Lawrence of Arabia (also because it’s one of my favorite films and scores.) Desplat’s music from The Shape of Water is also a stand-out. It’s also nice to re-visit music from films like Jean de florette and Le dernier metro.

JAZZ:  JONESVILLE – Acceleration Due to Gravity – Hot Cup Records

Improvised solos are at the heart of this album, the first of two being released today, from bassist/composer Moppa Elliott. This album was inspired by bassist/cellist/composer Sam Jones.

Three of the tracks are compositions by Jones; the other four are by Elliott. On this record along with Elliot are George Burton on piano; Stacy Dillard on tenor saxophone; Ava Mendoza on guitar; Matt Nelson on alto saxophone; Mike Pride on drums; Dave Taylor on trombone and Kyle Saulnier on baritone saxophone.

This is a free-style album for those who don’t want their music nice and easy as Tina Turner might say.

JAZZ:  DISASTERS Vol. 2 – Advancing on a Wild Pitch – Hot Cup Records

What do the following towns have in common: Cobbs Creek; Dimoc; Donora Smog; Marcus Hook, Mud run; Powelton and Van Meter? They are all in Pennsylvania and all had major accidents and/or disasters. Thus the title of this album by bassist/composer Moppa Elliott.

The seven tracks, all written by Elliot, are named after each of the cities above. Joining him on this really interesting album are Christian Coleman on drums; Charles Evans on baritone saxophone; Danny Fox on piano and Sam Kulik on trombone. This is a more traditional album than Jonesville. The two albums combine to showcase Moppa Elliott’s versatility.

JAZZ:  WONDERFUL! – Mike LeDonne – Cellar Music

Now for something completely different. Pianist/organist has some great musicians on this album: tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander; guitarist Peter Benstein and drummer Joe Farnsworth. He’s also got two guests: saxophonist Vincent Herring and percussionist Danny Sadownick.

The twist is he’s also joined by a gospel choir for the album. Obviously, the combination of an organist with a choir is nothing new. But add the other musicians on this album and you have something truly unique.

The stand-out tracks for me on this album are Lonnie’s Lament (a John Coltrane composition); Bridge Over Troubled Water (a commonly recorded song given extra life on this record) and Genesis (one of two songs written/co-written by LeDonne).

The album is a celebration of his special needs daughter whose pure joy can be found on this wonderful album’s cover.

JAZZ:  PEOPLE & LOVE – Johnny Lytle – Craft Recordings/Jazz Dispensary

This marks the first time Lytle’s 1972 album is being released on vinyl. It’s an album that is definitely of its time as it carves out a jazz/soul blend of music. Lytle is front and center on the vibraphone and wrote three of the five songs on the album.

It begins with Where Is the Love before going into his originals: Libra; Family and Tawhid. The album closes with a 12 minute jam of People Make the World Go ‘Round.

Joining Lytle on the album were:  Marvin Cabell on flute and saxophone; Josell Carter on drums; Bob Cranshaw on electric bass; Betty Glamann on harp; Daahoud Hadi on electric piano and organ and Arthur Jenkins Jr. on congas.

JAZZ:  FOR ALL WE KNOW – Jim Snidero – Savant Records            

This is a fairly straight-forward and traditional trio album from saxophonist Snider who is joined by Joe Farnsworth on drums and Peter Washington on bass. And it’s a good one.

Amongst the songs being performed are Cole Porter’s Love for Sale; Charlie Parker’s Parker’s Mood and the Rodgers and Hart standard My Funny Valentine.

Though Snidero has released several albums, this was my first introduction to his work. I plan to explore more of his recordings this weekend.

JAZZ:  WORDS UNSPOKEN – John Surman – ECM

There’s a lot of talk these days about people in their late 70s and early 80s being too old for a certain address in Washington, D.C. But if you listen to reedman Surman’s new album of ten original compositions you’ll see right away what a soon-to-be 80-year-old man can accomplish.

You might think that as one gets to a certain age he/she might take things a little easier. Play things a little safer. Not Surman. This is an album that fully has him looking forward with his quartet. From the opening notes of Pebble Dance (the first track on the album), you know this is going to be a unique hour of music.

Guitaris Rob Luft; drummer Thomas Strønen and vibraphonist Rob Waring join Surman for this utterly compelling album. 

VOCALS:  SONDHEIM IN THE CITY – Melissa Errico (Concord Theatricals Recordings)

During the pandemic Errico turned to the music of Stephen Sondheim. It was during this time she decided to make a follow-up to her Sondheim Sublime album. This one is designed as a love letter to New York City.

In addition, some usual suspects (Being Alive, Take Me To the World), Errico has done a deep dive into some rare and obscure songs like Dawn and It Wasn’t Meant to Happen. In my interview with her she said there were more undiscovered songs by Sondheim. Let’s hope we get to hear them soon.

Errico is in top form with this album and her affinity for Sondheim’s work is abundantly clear. She is joined by Ted Firth on paino; David Finck on bass; Lewis Nash on drums and Matt Munisteri on guitar. First did the arrangements and they are terrific.

This is a must-have album for Sondheim fans. Be sure to check out my interview with Melissa Errico here. And you can watch the full conversation here.

That’s my complete list of New In Music This Week: February 16^th.

Enjoy the music!

Enjoy the weekend!

Main Photo: Riley Mulherkar’s “Riley” album art excerpt

The post New In Music This Week: February 16th appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

To go to each concert, click on the name and that will take you to either a link for the concert itself or to a website that will lead you there.

Here is Jazz Stream: July 28th – August 2nd:

Cassandra Wilson – Just Jazz Cafe – July 29th – 11:00 AM EDT/8:00 AM PDT

The Just Jazz Live Concert Series at Mr. Musichead Gallery welcomes two-time Grammy Award winning singer Cassandra Wilson, but you’ll have to be ready for jazz in the morning. The show starts at 11:00 AM on the East Coast and 8:00 AM on the West Coast. Wilson is joining Leroy Downs for music and conversation.

I saw Wilson perform at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival many years ago and she was stunning. Over the course of her over 20 albums, she has proven herself one of our finest jazz vocalists.

In addition to her solo career, Wilson has recorded with such artists as Angelique Kidjo, Meshell Ndegeocello, Terence Blanchard, Elvis Costello and Wynton Marsalis. With Marsalis she sang on his Pulitzer Prize-winning Blood on the Fields, the first jazz composition to win the Pulitzer Prize for music.

Joe Farnsworth Quartet – Live at Smalls – July 29th: 7:45 PM EDT/4:45 PM PDT

Drummer Joe Farnsworth, who is a member of Pharoah Sanders’ band, is a drummer who has served as both a leader and a side man. He’s performed with Jon Hendricks, Jon Faddis, George Coleman, Cecil Payne, Annie Ross, McCoy Tyner, Cedar Walton, Diana Krall and Benny Green.

He’s also recorded with members of his quartet who are appearing with him at this concert: Wynton Marsalis on trumpet; Mike LeDonne on piano and Peter Washington on bass.

Earlier this year he released a track called The Good Shepherd from what his upcoming album called Time to Swing which is scheduled for release in September. Marsalis and Washington appear on that record.

Tim Seisser Sextet perform Weather Report’s “Heavy Weather” – Jazz Record Art Collective – July 29th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

In 1977 Weather Report released an album called Heavy Weather. It would go on to win album of the year from the readers of Down Beat Magazine. The members of Weather Report were Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius, Alex Acuña and Manolo Badrena. The album contained eight tracks and went to number one on the US Billboard Jazz charts.

Bass player Tim Seisser (who wasn’t alive when Heavy Weather was released) will be joined by Corbin Andrick on saxophone; Paul Mutzabaugh on keys; Andrew Lawrence also on keys; Reuben Garza on drums and Jonathon Marks on percussion.

This show is part of Jazz Record Art Collective’s programming of primarily Chicago-based musicians who offer up their own interpretations of jazz and/or jazz-influenced albums. While the performance is going on, they always have an artist who is painting. Arthur Wright is the artist paired with the Tim Seisser Sextet for this performance.

Wayne Shorter Celebration Pt. 3 – SF Jazz – July 31st – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

In this week’s Fridays at Five concert, SF Jazz continues with the series of performances from 2019 that replaced shows previously scheduled to be performed by Wayne Shorter who was too ill to perform.

This third of what, so far, appears to be a five-part celebration of the legendary saxophonist and composer, finds Branford Marsalis and Terence Blanchard performing with Shorter’s touring band of pianist Danilo Pérez, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade.

Upcoming Wayne Shorter celebrations will feature Joshua Redman, Ambrose Akinmusire, Terri Lyne Carrington and Shorter himself.

SF Jazz makes a concert available every Friday at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT. You must sign up for either a one-month membership ($5 for four weeks of performances) or $60 for full one-year subscription. Having seen several of these concerts, they are well-recorded, filmed well and definitely a bargain for any fan of jazz music.

Fred Hersch Trio – Village Vanguard – July 31st – August 1st – 9:00 PM EDT/6:00 PM PDT ($10)

Fifteen-time Grammy Award nominated jazz pianist Fred Hersch and his trio will perform two live sets from the Village Vanguard in New York City. That he’s never won a Grammy yet is just another reason why major changes are necessary there, but that’s another story in and of itself.

Hersch has recorded over 50 albums as either a soloist and or band leader. I could fill this entire column with quotes about how highly-regarded Hersch is, but I’ll leave it to fellow pianist Jason Moran who said, “Fred at the piano is like LeBron James on the basketball court. He’s perfection.”

Joining him for these two concerts are Drew Gress on bass and Joechen Ruckert on drums.

Tickets for each of these two performances are $10. Reservations must be made in advance in order to assure your ability to watch the performance.

Vijay Iyer, Eric Revis, Kokayi, Vanisha Gould – The Jazz Gallery Online Lockdown Sessions – August 1st – 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

If you’ve read this blog before, you know what a big fan I am of pianist/composer Vijay Iyer. His participation in any conversation and/or performance is going to catch my eye.

New York’s The Jazz Gallery is doing Lockdown Sessions every Saturday. The musicians safely record sets for presentation during the Lockdown Session and the music is followed by a conversation.

Joining Iyer for this Saturday’s event is bassist’s Eric Revis; producer/performer Kokayi and singer Vanish Gould.

To watch any of The Jazz Gallery’s lockdown sessions requires making a reservation at least one hour in advance of the event. Reservations are $20 for non-members and $10 for members. Once you have secure your reservation, they will send you a Zoom link approximately half-an-hour prior to its start.

Julius Rodriguez Trio – Live at Smalls – August 2nd – 7:45 PM EDT/4:45 PM PDT

You may not know Julius Rodriguez, but you will. This amazingly talented young musician was hailed by Giovanni Russonello in the New York Times last fall as, “among the most impressive straight-ahead musicians coming of age in New York right now.”

All of 21 years old, he’s not only fast-rising as a jazz pianist, he’s performed with Wynton Marsalis, Keyon Harrold, Ben Williams, Jazzmeia Horn, A$AP Rocky, Meshell Ndegeocello, Braxton Cook and the late Roy Hargrove.

Joining him for this performance at Smalls in New York are Ben Williams on bass and Brian Richburg Jr. on drums.

His website indicates that he’s hoping to have his first album out in 2020. Let’s hope that’s coming soon.

That’s our Jazz Stream for this week. Leave a comment and let us know of exciting jazz shows you find streaming! Have a great week.

The post Jazz Stream: July 28th – August 2nd – UPDATED appeared first on Cultural Attaché.