Music

Quincy Jones, who will turn 85 next month, retains his ability to electrify audiences.

Lizz Wright, “Seems I’m Never Tired Lovin’ You”

Lizz Wright delivered a gift last year in the form of her sixth album, Grace. A statement of extravagant self-assurance, it’s also an American affirmation, and in many ways a balm. 

When saxophonist Ken Fowser looks over his shoulder, he hears and feels the rhythms of his Philadelphia birthplace: Jimmy Heath, John Coltrane, Benny Golson, Lee Morgan, McCoy Tyner, Philly Joe Jones. It's a collective spark that has pushed him forward over a dozen-plus years in New York and numerous recordings. Fowser, never one to back away from the scalding sessions at Smoke and Smalls, has been dressing up club stages across the country with his soulful sound.

Bill Frisell is no stranger to the solitary urge. Even in an ensemble setting, his graceful, inquisitive guitar playing can feel like the projection of an interior monologue. He’s a warm and generous collaborator but also a paragon of self-containment, complete unto himself.

Some experiences stick with you. They cry out for reflection, for the transfigurative potential of an artistic response. That was the case for Mike Reed, the intrepid Chicago drummer and bandleader, after his harrowing encounter with white supremacists in 2009.

John Raymond’s Real Feels, “The Times They Are A-Changin’” 

Direct emotional expression isn’t always easy to come by in jazz’s ultramodern wing, but John Raymond has made it a priority in Real Feels, his primary band. A deeply sympathetic trio featuring Raymond on trumpet and flugelhorn, Gilad Hekselman on guitar and Colin Stranahan on drums, it’s the latest evidence of jazz’s fruitful exchange with melodic indie-rock and singer-songwriter fare.

The jazz and blues winners at the 60th Grammy Awards are in, and they mostly went to seasoned heads and strong favorites. But this ​year’s Grammys also reinforced just how flexible jazz and blues artists tend to be, moving across a range of categories and in a variety of styles. 

Kate McGarry has been singing all of her life. She grew up in a family with 10 kids, and they all sang all the time. She eventually studied jazz at UMass-Amherst. Archie Shepp was one of her mentors, and the roiling heart one hears in Shepp's '60s albums can also be heard in McGarry's singing.

With his new album, Reaching Out, trombonist Michael Dease clearly demonstrates why he’s met the high level of musicality demanded by discerning bandleaders like Christian McBride and Jimmy Heath.

With this album Dease salutes the genius of legendary pianists Cedar Walton and Kenny Drew, as well as his former trombone teachers Conrad Herwig and Steve Turre. 

Wes Montgomery was one of the world's most accomplished jazz musicians, beginning in his late teens. He went on to perform worldwide, with a catalog of recordings that had significant influence on just about every guitarist who followed.

“All the music in this album was written during a very blue period in my life,” the bassist Charles Mingus observed in the liner notes to Tijuana Moods.

Recorded a little over 60 years ago, on July 18 and August 6, 1957, it’s an album that remains unique not only in the Mingus discography but also in jazz as a whole.

“Art hurts. Art urges voyages — and it is easier to stay at home.” Gwendolyn Brooks wrote those words just over 50 years ago, for her poem “Chicago Picasso.” They resurfaced late on Friday night at the New School Tishman Auditorium, as part of the 2018 Winter Jazzfest Marathon.

I have a friend who loves gypsy guitar music so much she said she’s going to build a campfire in the backyard, light it, and wait.

Some folks feel pretty connected to their Django Reinhardt. The Django practitioners are just as passionate (maybe without the campfire), with a burn that brings legions to hot clubs, and festivals where the Sinti style lives.

Chick Corea and Steve Gadd have a musical connection over 50 years deep. So when the iconic keyboardist and legendary drummer found time last year to reunite in the studio I immediately thought of Corea's albums The Leprechaun and My Spanish Heart, and the concert I hosted in Cleveland in 1981 featuring music from the Three Quartets, with Chick, Steve, Eddie Gomez and Michael Brecker. Some nights you’re so glad you showed up.