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

JD Allen – Love Letters (The Ballad Sessions) (Savant Records)

Saxophonist JD Allen has long been known for putting out fire-breathing albums with a trio of saxophone, bass and drums. On Love Letters, he tries something different and succeeds quite nicely. Brandon McCune joins him on piano, Ian Kenselaar is the bassist and Nic Cacioppo plays the drums. As the parenthetical title states, this is an album of ballads, and well-known ones at that. “Stardust,” “Don’t Go to Strangers,” “I Love You,” these are all songs that Jazz fans know and love, and they’re all given lovely treatments. Love Letters is, simply stated, a pretty album, filled with pretty songs that are chock full of pretty moments within them. It might be a departure from JD Allen’s usual fare, but it sure does make for some nice listening.

Jerry Weldon – The Summit (Cellar Music)

Saxophonist Jerry Weldon put together a group to play a gig in November 2024, and Cory Weeds of Cellar Music fame had the tape recorders running. The results can be found on the new album The Summit. Along with Weldon, Alonzo Demetrius plays trumpet, Peter Lin plays trombone, Mike Bond plays piano, Jason Clotter is the bassist, and Carmen Intorre, Jr. is the drummer. It’s telling that there are three songs from the songbook of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers (“Minority,” “Calling Miss Khadija,” and “The Summit”), because this group shows off that same sort of muscular energy throughout the album. About the only moments where they stray from a Jazz Messenger point of view are on the lovely rendition of “Good Morning Heartache” and the version of “On the Sunny Side of the Street” that hints more toward Dizzy Gillespie’s arrangement with Sonnys Stitt and Rollins. The hip boogaloo-ish take on “You Go to My Head” is a nice touch, and Weldon’s originals here, “Sunny V” and “Damon’s Day” are great listens, too. It’s great to hear the spirit of The Jazz Messengers living on with a new group of players on The Summit with Jerry Weldon and friends. I think you’ll dig it, too.

James Suggs – For All We Know (Arbors Jazz)

Trumpeter James Suggs has a new album out called For All We Know. Joined by fellow trumpeter Brandon Conley, saxophonist Jeremy Carter, pianist Seth Finch, bassist Alejandro Arenas, and drummer Herlin Riley. The combination of these players makes some Jazz on For All We Know that just oozes joy out of the speakers. From the first notes of “Grazin’ in the Grass,” this is a smile inducing album. Suggs put together a healthy mix of music on For All We Know, including a few standards, like “Moten Swing,” “My Shining Hour” and the title track, a few pop songs, the most successful being Michael Jackson’s “Black or White,” Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend” and John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy.” You can basically pick a track at random and find a toe tapping gem. James Suggs has a winner on his hands with For All We Know.