New Releases Spotlight: Week of January 26, 2015
This week in The Music Lounge, we've got some fantastic music to tell you about…
Chris Potter - Imaginary Cities
First off, the most 'important' disc of the week, and of the year, so far, is Chris Potter’s Imaginary Cities. Here, Potter has expanded his Underground group to add a bassist (Scott Colley), a vibes player (Steve Nelson) and a string section. If you had the chance to see Chris and his band this past weekend at the Jazz Showcase, then you got a taste of how exciting this band can be. Even with the strings and the usually quiet and composed ECM vibe, Imaginary Cities is, at times, a downright explosive album.
Chris Foreman - Now is the Time
Most Chicago jazz fans know exactly who Chris Foreman is…an outstanding organ player who is genuinely one of the greats playing the instrument these days. His playing with the Deep Blue Organ Trio, Kimberly Gordon and others is always top notch, and to tell the truth, it hadn’t dawned on me that he hadn’t released an album under his own name. Well, that’s been resolved with his debut album, Now Is the Time. What’s really interesting is the fact that large swaths of this disc is solo organ. Which admittedly doesn’t sound too enticing on paper. However, Foreman really shows off just how infectious of a player he is by making a disc like this. He swings mightily on Charlie Parker’s "Now’s the Time." Add in Andy Brown on guitar on a few cuts, or Diane Ellis on “The Peeper,” and you’ve got an embarrassment of riches. Hopefully, you’ll be hearing this one a lot!
Alyssa Allgood - Lady Bird
Finally, young Chicago vocalist Alyssa Allgood has a new disc out called Lady Bird. It’s short, with all of five tunes, but luckily, she’s got a nice band together for the album, she’s in nice voice, she scats well and covers a wide range of material in just five songs. From be-bop to bossa nova and a really nice original (a tune called “Jaded”), there’s a bunch to like.
Also, you might notice that you’re hearing a bunch of Gregory Porter over the course of the next two weeks. We’re excited for Porter’s gig coming up at the MAC on February 15th, and we hope that we’ll entice you to buy tickets and join us for the show!
We’ll see you next week with a few more glimpses of some great new releases, here in The Music Lounge!
