The Week in Jazz is your roundup of new and noteworthy stories from the jazz world. It’s a one-stop destination for the music news you need to know. Let’s take it from the top.
Noteworthy
Peabody Institute Launches New Jazz Fellowship: The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University has announced a new Graduate Jazz Fellowship covering full tuition, plus a stipend, for Masters and Graduate Performance Diploma students each year. Fellows will work closely with renowned trumpeter/educator Sean Jones, Chair of Jazz Studies at Peabody. They will also perform in select ensembles and engage with the greater Baltimore community through concerts and outreach programs. The program is now accepting applicants for its first cohort in Fall 2023. More here.
Limited Edition Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday Vinyl Box Sets: Verve is set to release limited edition vinyl box sets from legendary jazz vocalists Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. The four-LP collection, Billie Holiday: The Complete Decca Recordings is set for release on November 4. The three-LP box set Ella Fitzgerald: Jukebox Ella: The Complete Verve Singles, Vol. 1 is slated for release on October 28. Both sets have never before been released on vinyl. Pre-order them here.
Zev Feldman’s Jazz Detective to Launch with Two Ahmad Jamal Double-LPs: Producer Zev Feldman’s new imprint, Jazz Detective, will launch on Record Store Day’s Black Friday Event on November 25, 2022, with two double-LP sets of previously unreleased live recordings by master pianist Ahmad Jamal. The two vinyl sets of Emerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse capture spectacular 1963-64 and 1965-66 performances by the legendary pianist’s trio at the Penthouse in Seattle, Washington. The albums will also be available as two-CD sets and downloads on December 2.
Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice Introduces New Standards: Hal Leonard and Berklee Press released New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets By Women Composers on September 15. Curated by Terri Lyne Carrington, the founder of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, the publications highlights compositions spanning nearly a century, from Lil Hardin Armstrong’s work composed in 1922 to songs written by recent graduates of the Institute in 2021. In conjunction with the publication of this historic book, Carrington released the album New Standards Vol. 1 from Candid Records on September 16 and, starting the weekend of October 14–15, the Carr Center in Detroit, Michigan, will debut an exhibition on New Standards as a part of the Jazz Without Patriarchy Project.
Strut to Release First Ever Detroit Artists Workshop Retrospective: Strut Records is set to release the first-ever retrospective of the influential Detroit Artists Workshop. Due out on October 14 in partnership with Art Yard, John Sinclair Presents Detroit Artists Workshop is the culmination of a five-year project researching the archives of author/DJ/activist John Sinclair. Featuring previously unreleased recordings by such luminaries as Donald Byrd, Ron English, Lyman Woodard and many more, the collection spans 1965-1978.
New and Upcoming Albums
Troy Roberts, NU-JIVE: Nations United (Toy Robot): Saxophonist Troy Roberts is soon to release Nations United, his new album with NU-JIVE, a multi-national band he formed in 2009. Together, they perform a kaleidoscopic fusion drawing from a wide range of musical cultures and speaking to the universality of music. Nations United was released on June 6.
Samara Joy, Linger Awhile (Verve): 22-year-old Samara Joy is the future of vocal jazz, influenced by such greats as Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone but also taking a contemporary approach to her art. She recently signed with Verve Records and released her full-length album debut for the label earlier this year, on September 16, Linger Awhile, which finds her reinterpreting some of the great standards from the classic songbooks.
Lubos Soukup & Christian Pabst, Levitas (Animal): Renowned German pianist Christian Pabst and prolific Czech saxophonist Lubos Soukup explore the intimate and challenging duo format on their collaborative album, Levitas, released on September 2 on Animal Music. The two showcase their profound musical connection via an idiosyncratic fusion of folk, classical and jazz, with detailed arrangements and a wide array of textures.
Billy Drummond, Valse Sinistre (Cellar Music): Valse Sinistre is drummer/composer Billy Drummond’s first album as a leader since 1996 and renews his ongoing partnership with Cellar Music Group. A multigenerational project featuring some of the most innovative voices on the jazz scene today, Valse Sinistre offers a dynamic repertoire, including rarely-heard pieces and a sole original composition named “Changes for Trane and Monk,” intercutting John Coltrane’s harmonic ideas with Thelonious Monk’s melodic leaps and tendencies.
Live Music and Festival News
August Wilson African American Cultural Center Announces Fall 2022 Season Lineup: The August Wilson African American Cultural Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has unveiled its Fall 2022 season lineup. The program will feature a new interactive series inspired by August Wilson’s works, an all-new jazz series, a dance production by Rennie Harris, a theatrical performance from Roger Guenveur Smith, an evening of music from Angelique Kidjo, plus community events for all ages. Performance-based initiatives are at the forefront of the Center’s offerings, and the Fall 2022 season boasts a robust selection of productions that celebrate Black culture and the African diaspora, and reflect the diversity of Pittsburgh and the nation. More here.
DOMi & JD BECK Announces Fall 2022 North American Tour Dates: DOMi & JD BECK have announced their have announced a Fall North American tour behind their debut album NOT TiGHT, released earlier this year on Blue Note Records. Tickets are on sale now for the 18-date tour which kicks off October 10 in their home base of Dallas, Texas. The tour also includes shows in New York and Los Angeles. Click here for a full list of tour dates.
Terence Blanchard to Kick off TD James Moody Jazz Festival: Trumpeter/composer Terence Blanchard will kick off the 11th annual TD James Moody Jazz Festival on November 10 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. He will be joined by his electric ensemble The E-Street Collective and acclaimed neo-classical string ensemble Turtle Island Quartet. Together, they will be performing music from their 2021 album Absence, a powerful tribute to the great Wayne Shorter.
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