This Just In: A New Music Round Up – Friday February 9 from Music Director Sean McPherson

Greetings! Every Friday I’ll be bringing you some highlights of new music we are featuring here on Jazz88. This is all connected to This Just In, our weekly show that celebrates new jazz releases. You can catch This Just In, hosted by moi, on Fridays at Noon on 88.5 or catch it on your own schedule from our show page.

If you have input about the music we’re playing, or ideas about what else we should be playing, let me know please! I can be reached at sean@jazz88.fm.

Precarious Towers “Tone Poem” from their album Ten Stories Listen Here

Precarious Towers serves as our regional highlight for the week. After years out in New York, Johannes Wallmann is headquartered in Madison and collaborating with great players from all over the Midwest. Growing out of a Wallmann led album from 2022, this band has gelled to become a collaborative effort. We are highlighting the song “Tone Poem” penned by Sharel Cassity and featuring her flute work. A beautiful chart and a very understated performance. Extra points to vibraphonist Mitchell Shiner who turns in a sublime solo.

Butcher Brown – “Espionage feat. Charlie Hunter” from their album Solar Music  Listen Here

Do you ever hear a funk groove and immediately you are in a car that costs twice as much and goes twice as fast as the car you are actually in? I think they call that cinematic. This jam is cinematic. I escape into this funky world filled with amazing Charlie Hunter guitar leads. Pop this in in your Ford Tempo and find out how a Ferrari feels.

Keyon Harrold– “Beautiful Day feat. PJ Morton” from his album Foreverland Listen Here

Do you remember when the sun stopped shining in the Twin Cities for two weeks? Granted you could walk outside in your swimsuit and a tank top in February but I still missed the sun. That all changed when I got my hands on this tune. To have PJ Morton guide you towards embracing the good side of things and lift your spirits is one thing, to add Chris Dave on the drum kit and Keyon floating above it on his trumpet. . .that’s sunshine inside an mp3. Looking forward to checking out more from this new Keyon Harrold offering!

Mary Halvorson  – “Collapsing Mouth” from her album Cloudward Listen Here

You don’t need a degree to enjoy jazz. You don’t need a degree to enjoy “free jazz”. Sometimes when something gets rave reviews by the jazz snobbery I fear I won’t be able to feel it, I won’t be able to find my way into the beauty. But, when I trust my ears I find the good stuff. Thanks to our Development officer Andrew Diemand I got pointed to this track and I was drawn into the mystery. What instruments are joining on the melody? Whose soloing? Who should I pay attention to? Why do I feel so moved emotionally? This is a song that just continues to unfurl, new textures, new intensity, new energy. It’s a joyous. Can I tell you what chord they are playing? Absolutely not. Can I tell you I feel something viscerally in my spirit when I play this record. Absolutely. And that’s the important part.

Thanks for checking out This Just In, and be sure to shoot an email over to sean@jazz88.fm if you have any input about our music programming!

-Sean McPherson


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