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

Kenny Barron – Songbook (Artwork Records)

So, here’s a curious idea…take pianist Kenny Barron’s longstanding trio with Kiyoshi Kitagawa (bass) and Johnathan Blake (drums) and have them play with eight different vocalists. Even better, have them play Kenny Barron’s music with those vocalists. With one exception, the lyrics were penned by Janice Jarrett, and tackled by some top-tier, mostly young Jazz vocalists. Certainly anyone with ears has heard how great Jean Baylor, Catherine Russell or Cecile McLorin Salvant are already. The true revelations here are Tyreek McDole (we’ve been playing his album, Open Up Your Senses, quite a bit as of late) and Ekep Nkwelle. Nkwelle’s turns on “Illusion” and “Sonia Braga” are highlights of an album that is full of highlights. McDole’s two appearances, on “Calypso” and “Marie Laveau” are welcome additions to his young catalog. Anne Hampton Callaway’s vocal on “Cook’s Bay” adds another dimension to one of Kenny Barron’s most beloved compositions. Catherine Russell wrote her own lyrics for “Minor Blues Redux,” and she delivers them with aplomb. Cecile McLorin Salvant sounds absolutely electric on “Thoughts and Dreams,” and Chicago’s own Kurt Elling is in fine voice for “In the Slow Lane.” Another Kenny Barrom album is always welcome, and one where everyone is so clearly invested is even more welcome. That makes Songbook a very welcome album indeed.

Sam Dillon – My Ideal (Cellar Music)

Tenor Saxophonist Sam Dillon made some smart choices when making his latest album for Cellar Music, My Ideal. First of all, his choices in sidemen were all great calls if the goal was to make a swinging, straight-ahead Jazz album in 2025: David Hazeltine handles the piano duties, Alexander Claffy’s on bass, and Rodney Green’s behind the drums. Secondly, he uses the four standards on the album to show off different facets of his playing, so, “Softly As in a Morning Sunrise” is a chance for him to stretch a little more aggressively. “My Ideal,” on the other hand, proves just how adept he is at playing a ballad. Cole Porter’s “I Love You” hints at Ravel’s Bolero before settling into the familiar melody, and “Have You Met Miss Jones” gives everyone a chance to shine. The originals are just as diverse, with “Past Time” feeling like part of the score to a private eye movie. “SD Card” has John Coltrane’s fingerprints all over it, and “Path of Totality” will be totally at home on an upcoming episode of Notes from the Jazz Underground. Sam Dillon covers a large amount of ground on the eight songs found on My Ideal, and they all have their charms.

Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective – Cortadito (self-produced)

The Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective, a Chicago based Latin Jazz ensemble led by guitarist Jose Guzman has just released their new album Cortadito (half espresso/half steamed milk). Guzman, besides being a great guitarist and writer, also managed to surround himself with some of Chicago’s finest musicians in the Latin Jazz and Salsa traditions. Trumpeter Victor Garcia, saxophonist Brian Stark, trombonist Ben Carrasquillo, bassist Andrey Goncalvez, conguero Javier Quintana, bongocero Victor Gonzalez, Timbalero Michael Rodriguez and Barril player Jose Natal make up the rest of this fantastic ensemble. Guzman wrote five of the seven songs on Cortadito, and saxophonist Stark contributed one (the fiery “El Volcan”). “El Reloj” is a beautiful ballad, “A Sunday Kind of Day” is, to these ears, candy, and the mellow groove of “Terminal 5” is as relaxing as O’Hare’s Terminal 5 (which it’s named after) isn’t. “Orchard Downs,” “Holande’ Pa Uste’” and the aforementioned “El Volcan” will be making their way into quite a few upcoming editions of the Latin Bit. Which they should. Cortadito pops like its namesake.