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

Catherine Russell – Send for Me (Dot Time)

Vocalist Catherine Russell has a new album out, and that’s always a cause for celebration. Russell’s got an approach that favors the songs, textures and vibe of the 20s and 30s, and it’s done so well and so earnestly that her joy and enthusiasm comes shining right through. On Send for Me, we get a wide array of material, from Jazz standards (“East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)”), to pop hits for Nat King Cole (“Send for Me’), and it all swings mightily.

Marcello Carelli – The Era (self-produced)

Florida based drummer and composer Marcello Carelli has just released his debut album, The Era, and it’s a charmer. A sextet of musicians from the Miami area playing some positively joyous music that recalls Clark Terry’s albums for Riverside in the early 60’s, This one has my foot tapping every time I pop it in the CD player. “Distractions” and “Nuthin’ To Do Blues” are my highlights, and I’m looking forward to hearing more from Carelli in the coming years!

Jeremy Pelt – Soundtrack (HighNote)

Trumpeter Jeremy Pelt recently released a new album on High Note records called Soundtrack. As always, Pelt has assembled a great crew, with Victor Gould on piano, Vicente Archer playing bass and Alan Mednard on drums. But the scene stealer on nearly every track here might be vibraphonist Chien Chien Lu. She’s got great feel, great ideas, and her sound adds a fresh dimension to the Trumpet plus rhythm section sound. When Pelt chooses to have an all-acoustic ensemble, they sound bright and aggressive and ready to play. When Pelt gets Gould to plug in, this group sounds like they could have been recording an early 70’s masterpiece. But whichever format they choose, the real winner is the listener. We get a fiery and grooving band with some fantastic music on this Soundtrack.