1. James Brandon Lewis/Red Lily Quintet Jesup Wagon (Tao Forms) Jesup Wagon musically channels the curiosity, empathy, and intellectual rigor of George Washington Carver—a renaissance … Read More “1. James Brandon Lewis/Red Lily Quintet Jesup Wagon (Tao Forms)”
2. Floating Points/Pharoah Sanders/London Symphony Orchestra Promises (Luaka Bop) It’s a slow burn, and sometimes it seems whisper-thin. Yet the power of Promises is in … Read More “2. Floating Points/Pharoah Sanders/London Symphony Orchestra Promises (Luaka Bop)”
3. Anna Webber Idiom (Pi) Saxophonist/flutist/composer Anna Webber has a da Vincian gift for discovering the sublime via the mathematical. This monumental two-disc suite is … Read More “3. Anna Webber Idiom (Pi)”
4. Johnathan Blake Homeward Bound (Blue Note) Blake’s fourth recording as a leader is his most “inside.” “Inside” is relative. Blake’s quintet contains badasses only. … Read More “4. Johnathan Blake Homeward Bound (Blue Note)”
5. Vijay Iyer Uneasy (ECM) Bassist Linda May Han Oh and drummer Tyshawn Sorey are among the most melodic of players on instruments usually limited … Read More “5. Vijay Iyer Uneasy (ECM)”
6. Ches Smith and We All Break Path of Seven Colors (Pyroclastic) Leave it to consummate drummer and ace collaborator Ches Smith. Famed for work with … Read More “6. Ches Smith and We All Break Path of Seven Colors (Pyroclastic)”
7. David Sanford Big Band Featuring Hugh Ragin A Prayer For Lester Bowie (Greenleaf) Ensconced in academia since the late 1990s, composer/arranger David Sanford was … Read More “7. David Sanford Big Band Featuring Hugh Ragin A Prayer For Lester Bowie (Greenleaf)”
8. William Parker Migration of Silence Into and Out of the Tone World: Volumes 1-10 (Centering) Parker’s discography is dense enough to curate 10-disc box sets … Read More “8. William Parker Migration of Silence Into and Out of the Tone World: Volumes 1-10 (Centering)”
9. Pat Metheny Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV) (Modern) Joined by a pair of rising-star players, pianist/keyboardist James Francies and drummer Marcus Gilmore, the master guitarist turns … Read More “9. Pat Metheny Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV) (Modern)”
10. Archie Shepp and Jason Moran Let My People Go (Archieball) Even though they were recorded in 2018, the hymns performed here by Shepp and Moran … Read More “10. Archie Shepp and Jason Moran Let My People Go (Archieball)”