What's New on WDCB... with Paul Abella

Greg Murphy – You Remind Me (Whaling City Sound)

Pianist and Chicago native, Greg Murphy, is back with a new disc for 2024 called You Remind Me. Obasi Akoto joins him on bass, Steve Johns is the drummer, and violinist Zach Brock is in on the action for three songs as well. You Remind Me is one of Murphy’s finest efforts in years, featuring both well-executed standards (“Nancy with the Laughing Face,” Frank Foster’s “Simone,” John Coltrane’s “Mr. Day”) and some excellent originals, like “After Dark,” which is one of the Zach Brock features, or “Night Flight” which gives us a taste of Murphy’s hard swinging trio. All in all, You Remind Me is a charming album that will certainly be getting a lot of love around our studios at WDCB.

Diego Rivera – With Just a Word (Posi-Tone)

Saxophonist Diego Rivera has been on a tear as of late, releasing a steady stream of solid albums. With Just a Word keeps the streak going with an excellent outing that reaches out in numerous different directions. Joined by Pete Rodriguez (trumpet and congas), Art Hirahara (piano), Luques Curtis (bass) and Rudy Royston (drums), he certainly has the crew together to get some excellent results. This quintet does not disappoint, as they put a thoroughly straight-ahead spin on the Santana classic “Europa,” swing hard on “Once Again, Always” and play some hard hitting Latin Jazz on “Tinte Latino” and “Machete.” Rivera gets the floor all to himself during the beautiful Tony Williams penned ballad, “Pee Wee.” The highlights are abundant throughout With Just a Word.

The Reid Hoyson Project – On a Misty Night (RHP)

Drummer Reid Hoyson has a new album out with his eponymous project, On a Misty Night. Kicking off the album with the Tadd Dameron penned title track, Hoyson, bassist Rufus Reid, Pianist Billy Test and Hendrik Meurkens, playing both vibes and harmonica, settle into a nice groove fairly quickly. Interestingly enough, we’re four songs into the album before we hear even a lick of Meurkens’ chromatic harmonica wizardry, where he pours his heart out into the balled “A Tear for Toots.” We’re treated to a rendition of Hank Mobley’s “This I Dig of You” that clearly evokes the Modern Jazz Quartet. Charles Mingus’ “Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love” also gets a sensitive reading, and the George Coleman song “Lullaby” is a fitting way to wrap up the proceedings.