The Week In Jazz Sketches!
Jazz Hidden Gems & ‘Spinning Tales’ in Your Inbox Every Week!
Hi everyone,
Welcome back to another edition of The Week In Jazz Sketches! Quick heads-up: due to the length, you might not be able to see the whole thing in your email. If that happens, just click the title of this newsletter to view the full version on the blog.
Alright, let’s get this show on the road! Here’s your weekly roundup of Jazz music highlights:
Peter Bernstein gathers an all-star quartet for his stunning new release, Better Angels, featuring pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Vicente Archer, and legendary drummer Al Foster. While this marks the quartet’s debut, their individual connections run deep, fostering an undeniable chemistry that fuels the album’s dynamic interplay. Recorded on April 1, 2024, at Studio A, Power Station in NYC, Better Angels blends the familiar with the fresh, pairing standards with bold original compositions.
Columbia/Legacy Recordings will release Miles in France – Miles Davis Quintet 1963/64: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8 on November 8th, offering over four hours of previously unreleased music from a pivotal era in Miles Davis’ career. This 6CD/8LP collection, featuring new liner notes by Marcus J. Moore, captures live performances from the 1963 Festival Mondial Du Jazz in Antibes and the 1964 Paris Jazz Festival.
For fans eager for a preview, an unreleased version of “So What,” recorded live at Antibes, is now available.
Blue Note Records’ Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs’, arriving on November 22, offers Jazz aficionados a rare treat: a never-before-released live recording of McCoy Tyner and Joe Henderson from 1966. Captured at the now-mythical Slugs’ Saloon, this album brings to light a vital moment in Jazz history, with Tyner and Henderson leading an extraordinary quartet featuring bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Jack DeJohnette.
Resonance Records marks the long-awaited return of Emily Remler to the spotlight with Cookin’ at the Queens: Live in Las Vegas 1984 & 1988. This 34-year gap since her last release is filled with some of Remler’s most dynamic and exploratory live performances. Remler, hailed for her remarkable swing and unshakable love of Wes Montgomery’s style, is featured in two sets recorded at the Four Queens Hotel. Whether she is burning through bebop standards or delving into blues and bossa novas, Remler’s mastery of the guitar shines on every track.
Resonance Records is releasing Lights on a Satellite, a live 1978 performance by Sun Ra and his Arkestra at the Famous Ballroom in Baltimore, as an RSD Black Friday limited double LP. Sun Ra’s performance, which combined his Arkestra’s space-age rhythms with theatrical stage presence and freeform improvisation, dazzled both veteran and younger listeners alike. The group’s eclectic repertoire, ranging from African-inspired rhythms to electric bass-driven swing, captured Sun Ra’s ability to merge different eras and styles into a unique, forward-thinking sound.
A previously unreleased recording of a 1970 Bill Evans Trio performance at the Kongsberg Jazz Festival is being released by Elemental Music as a two-LP set on Record Store Day (RSD) Black Friday, with a CD version to follow in December. This exclusive release, lovingly compiled, includes interviews with Evans, his bandmates Eddie Gomez and Marty Morell, and Norwegian pianist Roy Hellvin. The set also features reflections on Evans’ artistry by contemporary musicians like Aaron Parks and Craig Taborn, along with notes from Jazz historian Marc Myers.
Cellar Music Group’s archival imprint, From Reel to Real Recordings, has announced the upcoming release of Live at the Captain’s Cabin, a never-before-issued live recording by legendary trumpeter Charles Tolliver and his Music Inc. Quartet. The 2-LP set, available exclusively on Record Store Day (November 29, 2024), captures Tolliver and his band in peak form during a 1973 performance at The Captain’s Cabin, a small, underground venue in Edmonton, Canada.
GroundUP Music has announced the release of Three Visitors, the latest collaboration between pianist Edward Simon, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Brian Blade, arriving on November 1, 2024. The album highlights the trio’s decades-long bond through their shared exploration of postbop, avant-garde, and neo-soul, featuring special appearances by saxophonist Chris Potter and singer-songwriter Becca Stevens.
There’s plenty more to share—news, releases, hidden gems, and occasionally a “spinning tale” when I find the time to write something more in-depth about an album. But I won’t take up any more of your time right now. Don’t forget to check out the blog for daily updates on all things Jazz.
Thanks for hanging out, and catch you later!
Best,
Jazz Sketches