New Releases Spotlight: Week of August 3, 2015

This week in The Music Lounge, music director Paul Abella talks about three cool releases from some veterans of the jazz scene.

Let’s start with percussionist Sammy Figueroa’s latest, Imaginary World.  From the opening notes of the first song, "Bittersweet," you know you’re in for a treat.  It’s clear that Figueroa is reaching for something new, and it’s exciting.  He’s bending funk and R&B rhythms around Latin grooves that he and his rhythm section lay down so expertly.  "Flow of the Universe" is interesting for its lilting piano line, juxtaposed against a pretty hard driving beat.  "The Jumping Blue Jay" and "Alegria" both owe more than a tip of the hat to the legendary Cuban group Irakere’s brand of Latin meets ‘Jazz meets Fusion’.  I think DCB listeners are going to like this one a lot.

In a far more straight-ahead style, George Cables’ new trio disc, In Good Company, is truth in advertising.  Cables, an outstanding pianist, is joined by two excellent players: bassist Essiet Essiet and drummer Victor Lewis.  Together, they roll through a set list heavy on the Ellington and Strayhorn songs ("Day Dream," "Lotus Blossom," "Love You Madly," to name three), with a couple of excellent tunes from John Hicks ("Naima’s Love Song," "After the Morning") and Kenny Barron ("Voyage").  The end result isn’t surprising in the least: great players playing really well on some really great songs.  Kinda hard to go wrong there.

And last, but certainly not least, saxophonist Gary Bartz, pianist Larry Willis, bassist Buster Williams and drummer Al Foster got together earlier this year, called themselves Heads of State, and recorded an album called Search For Peace.  Hearing Bartz is always a treat, Larry Willis is a fantastic pianist, and Buster Williams and Al Foster could make anyone swing.  So, put them all in a room together, have them record some tasty favorites, and the results are guaranteed to be good.  "I Wish I Knew" is beautifully played, as is McCoy Tyner’s "Search for Peace."  The standout for me is Benny Carter’s "Summer Serenade," which gets a nice arrangement where Buster Williams and Gary Bartz both get to shine.  You’ll be hearing a lot of this one throughout the day (and night) here at WDCB!

Next week in The Music Lounge, I’ll have more fantastic jazz new releases to tell you about.  ‘Til then… keep your ears open!