Two absolutely killer albumss released today. One could do worse than spend the weekend listening to these two. 🎵

Boy do I wish I had been in Chicago last Friday 🎵

Get out there right now & watch Esperanza Spalding & Milton Nascimiento’s beautiful Tiny Desk (Home) Concert. A stunning collaboration between a true great of Brazilian jazz & a young musical genius. 🎵

Current listening: Pat Metheny’s beautiful new solo guitar album, Moondial.

The album includes a beautiful version of “My Love & I”—but that’s redundant, since every version of “My Love & I” is beautiful. 🎵

Loving Rick Rubin’s two-part interview with Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend (my family’s favorite band).

The episodes dive deep into each of VW’s albums, which winds up being a tour of all kinds of music—Rubin & Koenig are both musical omnivores of the first order. 🔗 🎧🎵

Current listening: Ron Carter, All Blues.

Roland Hanna’s solo on “Light Blue” is a beautiful little miracle. 🎵

I think this year would be a good year to listen to Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers straight through chronologically.

There’s a zillion albums, so I might not make it. But I can start. Tonight: Live at the Cafe Bohemia, volume 1. 🎶

Current listening: *The Incomparable Bola Sete 🎶

A new Geri Allen album??

Sure, it’s just a live recording, but I’m here all day for this one. Heck, here all year. 🎶

Current listening: a new Arvo Pärt album, Tractus, featuring a new, chamber-choir arrangement of Pärt’s setting of words from a sermon of John Henry Newman. 🎶

Current listening: Johnathan Blake, Passage. Blake is a master. Always brings the fire. 🎶

Current listening: Tyshawn Sorey Trio, Continuing.

Four tracks, 53 minutes. As wide-ranging as ever for this group, which features Matt Brewer on bass and Aaron Diehl on piano. 🎶

R.I.P., Astrud Gilberto—one of the most ethereal & beautiful of all singers, IMO. 🎶

Current listening: Danish Rain, the new album from a duet of wonderful musicians: pianist Justin Kauflin and bassist Thomas Fonnesbæk. 🎶

Current listening: Brian Blade, Mama Rosa.

I’ve loved this singer-songwriter-Gospel album from a world-class jazz drummer. 🎶

R.I.P. Ahmad Jamal, one of the greatest and perhaps my absolute favorite jazz pianist.

My dad used to play “Stolen Moments” at night while I was going to sleep. I’ve loved Jamal ever since. 🎶 🔗

Blue Note Records is absolutely crushing it lately: Julian Lage, Charles Lloyd’s trio of trios, Bill Frisell’s new quartet, Gerald Clayton’s Bells on Sand, Ethan Iverson’s Every Note is True: seems like all my fav new albums are Blue Note.

And this week, new Walter Smith III and Kendrick Scott. 🎵

Current listening: Charles Lloyd, Trio of Trios 🎵

Three fantastic trio albums, each with a different cast of musicians alongside Lloyd: Thomas Morgan & Bill Frisell; Anthony Wilson & Gerard Clayton; Julian Lage & Zakir Hussain.

Current listening: Charles Lloyd, Trio of Trios. 🎵

Three fantastic trio albums, each with a different cast of musicians alongside Lloyd: Thomas Morgan & Bill Frisell; Anthony Wilson & Gerard Clayton; Julian Lage & Zakir Hussain.

Rest in peace, Wayne Shorter, one of the very greats. 🎶

Current listening: Kendrick Scott, Reverence.

A 2009 album featuring some incredible players: not just Scott, but Gerald Clayton, Walter Smith III, Mike Moreno, and Derrick Hodge. 🎶

Current listening: Chris Potter, Got the Keys to the Kingdom. 🎵

Absolutely scorching live set featuring a dream-team of some of my favorite musicians: not just Potter, but also Scott Colley on bass, Marcus Gilmore on drums, and Craig Taborn on piano. Highly recommended!

Not surprised—it’s a great album! 🎶

Current listening: Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band, Season of Changes 🎶

Thanks to MinnPost for publishing this rich, illuminating portrait of MSP drummer Dave King (of The Bad Plus, Happy Apple, & Julian Lage’s current trio, among many other groups & projects). 🔗🎶🥁