The Sunday Jazz Brunch Presents

New For You

Air Date: 7/30/2023 on 90.5 WICN 8am-12pm ET

There is plenty of really good new material now, and I am screening it all for you. Let me give you an update on some of these fine releases.

Benny Benack III

Twenty-eight year old Benny Benack has been called "one of the most versatile and virtuosic voices of his generation." When I first heard his new CD Third Time's The Charm, I assumed that he is simply a fine jazz vocalist. Dig a bit further and one finds that he is also a first-class trumpeter. 

Describing this release, Mr. Benack explains: "I tried to program it as if I was doing a two set concert.  It has that New York kind of energy, being in the room at midnight at Smalls, or if you went to see me at Dizzy's." The CD features the likes of Peter Bernstein (guitar) and Emmet Cohen (piano). Check out the song Jade during the 9 am hour.

Silva and Steini

They come from the land of geothermal energy, steaming mineral spas, and long dark winters. Yes, that would be Iceland. Reykjavík, to be exact.

Vocalist Silva Thordardottir presents an understated and subtle approach to the eight songs, mostly standards, in their new CD More Than You Know. Steingrímur Teague plays the Wurlitzer, which seems to be making a kind of comeback among jazz keyboardists.


“We liked the idea of interpreting these songs with as few elements as possible, but in a way that feels very lush - sort of like how an extreme close-up in film allows for much more intimacy and detail,” says Steini. “We also found that the Wurlitzer took up space in a different and much fresher way than jazz piano, and almost felt more like electric guitar.”

Listen to two superb songs from the new CD in the first set at 8am and also at 9am ET.

Michael Ragonese

He's been playing for 25 years, won several awards, and has performed with artists like Barbara Streisand, Dave Koz, Charnett Moffett, Walter Smith III, Mark Turner, Bennie Maupin, Engelbert Humperdinck, Rick Braun, and many others of note. Michael Ragonese is a Los Angeles based pianist who offers us a fine trio including Mark Ferber on drums and Luca Alemanno on bass. I love his version of I'll Be Seeing You, which opens the 9am hour. It has the perfect vibe for your Sunday morning.

Gaea Schell

Originally from Alberta, Canada and now calling the San Francisco Bay Area her home, pianist/flutist/vocalist Gaea Schell displays tremendous versatility on her new release In Your Own Sweet Way. The moment I heard Dave Brubeck's composition on this CD, I knew that this is something  quite different. Ms. Schell explains: "The title track has a bunch of twists - 5/4, with the bridge in 4/4, a couple of harmonic changes in vamps, and I wrote the lyrics!" I had never heard those lyrics before. Now I know why.

I particularly enjoy her interactions with bassist John Wiitala and guitarist Jordan Samuels, and I'm sure you will as well when you hear a song from the CD in each of the first three hours of the show.

Luis Giraldo

Pianist and vocalist Luis Giraldo has released a Doris Day tribute CD, called Ready, Willing, and Able. There are a number of reasons to like this release from the Canadian-born artist: the fine organ trio of Ben Paterson, Ed Cherry, and Jason Tiemann, plus trumpeter and vocalist Bria Skonberg on a few tracks. Mr. Giraldo says that "For as long as I can remember, I’ve kept a list of Doris Day tunes that I’d one day record as a tribute. Ready, Willing, and Able is one of those tunes. I wanted to keep the energy and fun of her version—the band really hit it out of the park." And about the number you'll hear during the second hour, he notes that "Jason opens the album with a silky fill on Sometimes I'm Happy. This track’s energy really sets the tone for the album."

Luiz Millan

For his fifth release, this year's Brazilian Match, vocalist and composer Luiz Millan has corralled some of the best jazz talent around, including Grammy winners David Sanborn, Randy Brecker, and Mark Egan. Also featured: The New York Voices and Eddie Daniels. Producer Arnoldo DeSoutiero, who has worked with Jobim, Gilberto, Bonfa, and other luminaries in the world of Brazilian jazz, calls Mr. Millan "...a painter of wonderful sonic landscapes. He deals with the notes like a painter deals with pallettes and colors. The most beautiful images and feelings flow beneath his songs."

Stay cool my friend.

Marty

HOUR ONE: Contemplative Morning

Don Bonsanti\Islands with 14 Orchestra 2023\Some Other Time
Eunmi Lee-Introspection 2023-07 Azure
Silva & Steini\More Than You Know 2023\For Heaven's Sake
Dan Wilson-Things Eternal 2023-10 Pilgrimage Intro

Gaea Schell\In Your Own Sweet Way 2023\10 Un Sueño de la Noche
Stan Getz-People Time (Disc 2) 1991-04 People Time
Michael Morreale\Stories of Recent Vintage 2023\Thad and Mel

Schwager Oliver Quintet\Senza Resa 2023\Tender Love
Jalen Baker\Be Still 2023\Be Still
Heidi Martin\Gifts and Sacrifices 2023\I Love You in Every Language

HOUR TWO: New For You

Michael Ragonese-Stracci 2023-07 I'll be Seeing You
Gaea Schell\In Your Own Sweet Way 2023\In Your Own Sweet Way
Benny Benack III\Third Times the Charm 2023\Jade
Silva & Steini\More Than You Know 2023\Try Your Wings

Don Bonsanti\Islands with 14 Orchestra 2023\Bud Powell
Chuck Owen\Renderings  with WDR Big Band 2023\Canoe
Luis Giraldo\Ready Willing Able 2023\Sometimes I'm Happy

Michael Morreale-August 17th 2023-04 Confirmation
Ed Cherry\Are We There Yet 2023\Green Jeans
Samara Joy-Linger Awhile 2022-06 Social Call

HOUR THREE: Brazil/World

Gaea Schell\In Your Own Sweet Way 2023\10 Un Sueño de la Noche
Doug Beavers\Luna 2023\Flor De Lis
Luiz Millan\Brazilian Match 2023\Pacuiba
Diego Figueiredo\My World 2023\Malandrinho

Michael Constantino feat Harvie S-The Song Inside the Tune 2023-09 Speak Softly, Love
Gabriel Espinosa\Bossas and Boleros 2023\07 Pa Eugenio
Lauren Henderson-Musa 2021-06 Luz (Featuring Sullivan Fortner, Eric Wheeler & Joe Dyson)

Antonio Adolfo-Bossa 65 2023-09 Nos E O Mar (We and the Sea)
Eliana Cuevas\Sere Libre 2023\Nacerá
Joe Locascio\November The Music of Phil Gurlik 2023\Artifact

HOUR FOUR: Groove, Baby

Kayla Waters\Presence\Pianissimos
Angie Wells-Truth Be Told 2023-05 Accentuate The Positive
Kombo - Pedley and Pondel\This is the Good One 2023\Let's Do This
Chloe Jean-Fairy Tale Fail 2023-03 Fairy Tale Fail

The 3 Keys-We 3 Keys 2023-01 That Beat
Doug MacDonald\Overtones 2022\Hortense
Buzz Amato\Muse Cafe 2023\Muse Cafe
Wes Montgomery-Down Here on the Ground-03 The Other Man's Grass I s Always Greener 1995

Lindsey Webster\Reasons 2022\Wish You Well
Marion Meadows-Twice As Nice 2021-03 Pandora
Lou Pomanti & Friends-Lou Pomanti 2022-10 Déjà Vu
Lou Pomanti & Friends-Lou Pomanti 2022-12 Slow Hot Wind (Lujon)

 



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