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.
Tina Schlieske – “My Baby Just Cares for Me” from her album The Good Life Listen Here
Tina Schlieske has been a household name in the Twin Cities music scene for eons, but this new release “The Good Life” marks her most serious exploration of jazz in a studio setting. She teamed up with some great players from our scene including Brian Nichols (p), Pete Hennig (d) and Jake Baldwin (tp). There is no doubt that Schlieske’s ability to deliver a song with great passion and power extends into the jazz songbook. We’ve been especially partial to “My Baby Just Cares for Me” but the whole outing is a top notch affair.
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y – “Heart Full of Rhythm feat. Milton Suggs” from their album A New Beat Listen Here
Ulysses Owens Jr. is a Grammy-award winning drumming who has collaborated with Christian McBride, Kurt Elling, Joey Alexander, Matthew Whitaker and more. After doing his time as a “young lion” on the scene, Owens is paying it forward and connecting with young musicians and shining a light on their work. It was in that spirit that Owens formed Generation Y, a group of rising stars in collaboration with Ulysses. Though most of the songs are instrumental, we were most taken with the performance of “Heart Full of Rhythm” with Milton Suggs providing a passionate vocal performance.
Lynne Arriale – “Courage” from her album Being Human Listen Here
Lynne Arriale sounds like a singular talent at the piano and I have always respected those writers who seem to chart their own path, impervious to trends, focused on creating a body of work that will stand the test of time. Arriale has contributed another album to that body of work with her latest album Being Human. With the telepathic support of her trio with Alon Near on bass and Lukasz Zyta on drums, Arriale has crafted a set of originals celebrating the good qualities humans possess and display even in trying times like the ones we are living through. The album is full of gems, but the song “Courage” stood out to me on my first couple listens.
Ethan Iverson – “Victory is Assured (alla Breve)” from his album Technically Acceptable Listen Here
Ethan Iverson is inarguably a savant in the world of jazz. He has a deep knowledge and passion for the history of the music. That knowledge doesn’t stop Iverson from bravely eschewing tradition and breaking boundaries when he is on the bandstand. For Iverson’s second outing with Blue Note he recorded the first piano sonata for the label. I picked up on a short tune from the more “standard” side of the album. Not only is Iverson’s writing and playing on the tune magnificent, but the vivacity of the rhythm section of Thomas Morgan and Kush Abadey send the effort up a couple notches.
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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