New Releases Spotlight: Week of February 15, 2016

This week in The Music Lounge, music director Paul Abella takes a look at three new releases, something Latin, something with NOLA R&B/funk, and a tribute to Dinah Washington!

One of the most interesting new releases I’ve heard yet in this young year is Heart Beat, the latest from Bill O’Connell and Latin Jazz All-Stars.  This time out, those “all-stars” include trombonist Conrad Herwig and all-around woodwind guy, Steve Slagle.  O’Connell always puts out challenging music, but here he’s stretching even more than usual, and the results are fantastic.  There is some straight-up Latin jazz to be found on Heart Beat – the title track, “Vertigo” and “Tabasco” are all great, in the pocket Latin groovers that will appeal to everyone who digs the Mambo Express with Victor Parra on Sundays.  But things get really intriguing on “E.S.P.”, where O’Connell really shows off his skills as an arranger and on “Awani,” which blends traditional Afro-Cuban sounds with jazz and elements of West African music. 

Drummer Herlin Riley, best known for a long stretch playing with Wynton Marsalis, is out on his own with a disc called New Direction.  He gets back to his New Orleans roots throughout the disc, touching on the funk of the Meters and the traditional New Orleans street beat and jazz meets R&B grooves that The Big Easy is known for.  "The Crossbar" and "Connection to Congo Square" really play up the New Orleans/Havana connection, and "Harlem Shuffle" is a pretty obvious tip of the cap to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.  The end result is a varied and grooving album that’s a lot of fun to listen and a lot of fun to play on the air.  I hope you like this one as much as I do!

Finally, one singer that’s been getting a bit of buzz in New York is vocalist and pianist Champian Fulton.  Her latest, After Dark, is a tribute to Dinah Washington.  I dig Ms. Fulton’s piano playing, which gets some time in the spotlight on “Travelin’ Light” and the instrumental “Midnight Stroll.” On the vocal end of things, she does a really nice job on “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and “What a Difference a Day Made,” but this whole disc is quite nice, and fans of vocal jazz will have a lot to like on After Dark.

Next week, we’ll have three more new releases to chit chat about.   ‘Til then… keep your ears open!