New Releases Spotlight: Week of November 23, 2015

This week in The Music Lounge, music director Paul Abella takes a look at three new releases, including the first-ever trio recording from Chicago jazz patriarch Larry Novak!

Let’s start off with the long awaited side from pianist and educator Larry Novak, a trio disc titled Invitation.  It features Larry with bassist Eric Hochberg and drummer Rusty Jones.  These three are the epitome of taste and swing throughout this album.  There’s a strong connection to Bill Evans on this one ("Waltz for Debby," "Very Early"), but Larry does put his own remarkably nice spin on the songs throughout.  I really dig "Minority," "Invitation" and "Nobody Else But Me."  You’ll probably find a few favorites too, as we spin this one a lot more often. 

Drummer Charles Ruggiero had a novel idea for a disc – take a bunch of TV show themes, and make jazz out of ‘em.  The disc is called, As Heard on TV, and he makes some pretty interesting choices.  It would have been easy to take TV themes based on Jazz concepts ("The Odd Couple," "The Amazing Spiderman," "Rocky & Bullwinkle," "Batman"), and that would have likely been a pretty cool record.  Instead, Ruggiero, pianist Jeremy Manasia and bassist Mike Karn take some unusual chances with the material here.  I never thought I was going to hear jazz renditions of "Game of Thrones," "Law & Order" or "Good Times," but they all work really well.  And the mash-up of "Moonlighting" and Ahmad Jamal’s arrangement of "Poinciana?"  Pretty brilliant, I must admit. 

Saxophonist Don Braden is back with his new one Luminosity, this time with an all-star lineup.  Dave Stryker’s the guitarist, Cecil Brooks III is on drums, and Kyle Koehler acquits himself nicely on the B-3.  Trumpeter Claudio Roditi joins in for "I Could Write a Book" (a highlight of the disc, as you might expect) and alto saxophonist Sherman Irby sits in on Herbie Hancock’s "Driftin’."  The rest of the disc is greasy and grooving, "Jive Turkey" and "Walkin’ the Walk" are exactly as funky as their names would lead you to believe, and Chick Corea’s homage to Bud Powell sounds really nice too.  All in all, it’s a really nice disc that I think you’re gonna like coming out of your radio speakers.

Next week, we start talking about Holiday Jazz – and there are some cool discs to be heard from Doug Webb and Gordon Goodwin.  ‘Til next time…Keep your ears open!