Charenee Wade is not one to hold back or let fear
stand in her way. The first artist ever to enter two Thelonious Monk Vocal
competitions, she walked away from the second in 2010 with instant buzz and
second place to her new friend Cecile McLorin Salvant. Known for expert vocal
improvisational ability and her seriously swinging groove, Wade evokes a
classic jazz sound akin to Betty Carter and Sarah Vaughan, two of her musical
touchstones. Her new CD, “Offering: the Music of Gil Scott-Heron and Brian
Jackson,” pays tribute to another inspiration, the socially conscious poet and
musician Gil Scott-Heron. She is joined in this endeavor by notable guests
including guitarist Dave Stryker, vibraphonist Stefon Harris and bassist Lonnie
Plaxico.
Tenor
saxophonist, composer and arranger Bob
Mintzer recorded his first big band album in 1983. Five of his subsequent
big band discs have been nominated for Grammys, one of which won the coveted award.
Now comes Mintzer’s 20th big band release, “Get Up!,” recorded live
last year at the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild in Pittsburgh. It’s something of
a stylistic departure for the adventurous musician, as all nine selections
utilize syncopated grooves that draw on Rhythm and Blues and funk traditions. Besides
five original Mintzer compositions, the set is made up of the leader’s vibrant
arrangements of classic tune by Weather Report, the Isley Brothers, Sam and
Dave, and Sly and the Family Stone.
Also this
week, composer, arranger and bandleader Maria
Schneider celebrates a long-awaited reunion with her vaunted jazz orchestra
with “The Thompson Fields,” a homecoming nearly a decade in the making;
trumpeter Terell Stafford celebrates
jazz master Lee Morgan with “BrotherLee Love”; and one of America’s premiere
gypsy jazz groups, the Seattle-based Pearl Django,
stretches the genre in new directions with “Time Flies.”
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