Welcome to our inaugural edition of WRTI's Play It Forward, a monthly online column and a nightly feature on-air for new jazz albums from rising stars and established masters. Each month, we'll pick six new recordings to highlight here at wrti.org. And as you listen to Evening Jazz on Monday through Thursday at 90.1 FM, we'll feature a different track each night from one of the featured albums to begin the 8 p.m. hour.
Since 2024 has been so prolific, deciding on our first batch of releases to share has been a tricky task. But we think you'll find the right sounds among these six gems.
Wayne Shorter – Celebration Vol. 1 (Blue Note)
If you subscribe to our podcast, The Late Set, you might remember the mention of this album in our "This I Dig" roundup. As constant as Wayne Shorter's sound and spirit is in many of our lives, hearing his sound again is a big aid in finding the way forward after his loss just over a year ago. Shorter's sound is all about forward motion and this newly released concert performance that he personally authorized has that sound in abundance. Check "Smilin' Through" as a sonic elixir for overcoming adversity.
Peter Bernstein – Better Angels (Smoke Sessions)
The first-time assembly of Peter Bernstein with the ace rhythm section of Brad Mehldau, Vicente Archer, and Al Foster results in a truly empathetic quartet. Notes are played with intention, care, and in service of the leader's vision. As Bernstein has an immediately identifiable sound on the guitar, his songwriting is entering a similar realm. Previous originals such as "Jive Coffee" and "Simple As That" are now covered by some of today's improvising instrumentalists. The title track, in particular, "Better Angels," has the right elements and intrigue to extend beyond the quartet's stellar blueprint.
Miki Yamanaka – Chance (Cellar Music)
Pianist Miki Yamanaka's combination of daring and wisdom is an inspiring and compelling combination. As a result, each Yamanaka recording is documentation of a growing potency and power at the piano. Chance features her working trio of bassist Tyrone Allen and drummer Jimmy Macbride and marks her first time recording at the famed Van Gelder Studios. Additionally, this new album is the pianist’s first program of all cover songs. While she is respectful of each composer, Yamanaka’s choice of material allows listeners to get quickly acquainted with her conception. The trio's version of Geri Allen's "Unconditional Love" is among the best versions of the song ever captured, and includes all the right ingredients.
Christian Sands – Embracing Dawn (Mack Avenue)
Christian Sands distinguishes himself on the bandstand and in the recording studio with a unique balance of soul and sophistication. To that end, Embracing Dawn is one of the composer/musician’s best offerings. His core trio with brother Ryan Sands and bassist Yasushi Nakamura is at once deep grooving and untethered. There are some notable guests (Gregoire Maret, Warren Wolf, Marvin Sewell) and half the recording is enriched with deft string accompaniment which casts the perfect dreamscape. At the same time, the blues and roots zeal of "Ain't That The Same" is a real treat showcasing the trio plus guitarist Sewell in a vibe that would make Bobby Timmons and B.B. King proud.
Michael Mayo - Fly (Mack Avenue)
Fly is the impressive jazz-centered follow-up to Michael Mayo's jaw dropping debut album Bones. The singer navigates whimsically over five originals and six choice standards that are staples in his concert and online repertoire. Further making Mayo at home is an expert trio of collaborators that include Shai Maestro, Linda May Han Oh, and Nate Smith, along with Mayo's parents (on one track.) Sure, Mayo's chops and imagination continue to win him instant fans, but his clarity of ideas and patience are just as effective as tools to command his audience's attention. The album's first single, a backbeat treatment on Miles Davis' "Four," provides the right conditions for Mayo to soar above the groove.
Amina Figarova - Suite For Africa (Amfi Records)
Shaping a choir into the harmonic vehicle to support an instrumental ensemble is a unique challenge. Success relies on the blend and flexibility of the singers and arrangements with the correct level of harmonic depth. Much in the tradition of Horace Silver, Duke Pearson and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Figarova does not overwork the Matsiko World Orphan Choir. Instead, on the three choral plus instrumental tracks, she and her bandmates feed on the singers’ effective punctuation. The resulting sound is moody but retains its brilliance. Part one of the pianist's "Suite For Africa" is a peak among the album's eight compositions.
Listen to Evening Jazz with Greg Bryant on Monday through Thursday at 90.1 FM to hear a different track from one of these featured albums at the top of the 8 p.m. hour.
