Pianist Isaiah J. Thompson was named after the prophet Isaiah. On his new recording, The Book Of Isaiah: Modern Jazz Ministry, the pianist digs deep into the spiritual feeling of Duke Ellington, Mary Lou Williams, and Wynton Marsalis, the transcendent recordings of John Coltrane, the churchy textures of Charles Mingus and Cannonball Adderley, with a musical statement that explores faith, musicianship, race and humanity. His encounter with saxophonist Julian Lee, bassist Marty Jaffe, drummer Miguel Russell, singers Vuyo Sotashe and Kaitlin Obien-Thompson, and Herlin Riley, who brings along his tambourine and joins the collective voices in these choices, demands after one listen that we all take a look at our own faith and spirit, which defines the joyous feelings shared here.
Listen each weekday morning @ 8:20 for a track from Isaiah's Mack Avenue debut.
