Top 50 Jazz Albums For the Week of 20 October 2014 - JazzWeek

Here are the top 50 Jazz albums that received the most airplay on US, Canadian and internet radio stations from last week! Which albums are going to make it on your Top Ten list for 2014?  Let me know on Twitter or Facebook!

For your listening pleasure this week, my friend and Seattle jazz phenom Thomas Marriott talks about his bad-ass new album Urban Folklore with pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Donald Edwards ~ Enjoy!-

1. GERRY GIBBS THRASHER DREAM TRIO We’re Back (Whaling City Sounds)
2. MARK ELF Mark Elf Returns 2014 (Jen Bay, Inc.)
3. CHICK COREA Trilogy (Concord)
4. AKIKO Commencement (At)
5. JASON MORAN All Rise: A Joyful Elegy For Fats Waller (Blue Note)

Click to read more ...

New Kickstarter Project! JD Walter's 7th CD produced/co-produced by Orrin Evans and Eric Revis!

Happy Summer to everyone! Wow - I haven't featured a Kickstarter Project since the begining of 2012. That's not acceptable. Here's a little background information on this latest project that has caught my attention...

Vocalist JD Walter's artistry was a delightful discovery for me in 2007. Orrin Evans, the producer of this new project, is on my short list of favorite pianists and composers. They are both members of one of the more underappreciated jazz groups around, Philly-based LuvPark. Check out their eclectic 2005 CD LuvPark on Imani Records.

An album featuring JD Walter, Eric Revis, Orrin Evans and Nasheet Waits?  I cannot wait to hear the CD! With our monetary support, I know that this fundraiser will be successful - check out the video below for more information:

Click to read more ...

Seven For Saturday: 7 Branford Marsalis Videos

Branford Marsalis"Seven for Saturday" is a great way to see some of the men and women of jazz in action.  Today, you get to sit back and enjoy the musical stylings of Branford Marsalis!

"This New Orleans native was born into one of that city’s most distinguished musical families, which includes patriarch/pianist/educator Ellis and Branford’s siblings Wynton, Delfeayo and Jason.  Branford gained initial acclaim through his work with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and his brother Wynton’s quintet in the early 1980s before forming his own ensemble.  He has also performed and recorded with a who’s-who of jazz giants including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock and Sonny Rollins.

Click to read more ...