Music
Grateful to have caught Bill Charlap at the Dakota tonight. The trio included the great Kenny Washington on drums and, unexpectedly for me, David Wong on bass.
An absolutely incredible set. Highlights were Charlie Parker’s scorching “Segments” & the encore, “Some Other Time.” 🎵
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. 🎵
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 🎶
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.