Joëlle Léandre Rocks On, Freely
You ask, ‘Why’?” says Joëlle Léandre, 71, when asked about recording somewhere between 140 and 200 albums since 1981, with three times as many gigs … Read More “Joëlle Léandre Rocks On, Freely”
3. Billy Drummond & Freedom of Ideas Valse Sinistre (Cellar)
For his first album as a leader in 26 years, the drummer’s drummer enlists saxophonist Dayna Stephens, pianist Micah Thomas, and bassist Dezron Douglas for adventurous music ranging from an urgent, bracing take on Jackie McLean’s “Little Melonae” to a haunting version of the ballad “Laura.” Drummond aptly salutes a pair of musical heroes on his “Changes for Trane & Monk” and turns in a soprano-led version of Grachan Moncur’s twisty, rarely played “Frankenstein.” PHILIP BOOTH
