(Music 4 My People Entertainment)

Misfits is the fascinating sophomore recording from pianist/composer Enoch Smith, Jr. Smith’s engagingly melodic compositional work centers around a hauntingly beautiful theme, sung by Sarah Elizabeth Charles, who is featured on six of the albums tunes. Saunders Sermons and Mavis Poole provide the vocals for other tunes on the effort. Smith is backed bassist Noah Jackson and drummer Sangmin Lee and a string trio adds depth and color to one of the album’s ballads. The project also includes covers of music by Juan Tizol, Sade, Lennon and McCartney and the Rev. Paul Jones. Even so, the vernacular spoken here is fresh and original and thoroughly enjoyable music.

(Marsis Jazz)

There’s something powerful about the marriage of piano and the human voice, and Mitchel Forman’s latest recording captures this magic so incredibly well. Sing Along With Mitch has the fantastic pianist playing along with 7 incredible voices in interpreting  wonderful contemporary standards. Featured are the talents of vocalists Arnold McCuller, Lizzy Loeb, Steven Santoro, Joy Burnworth, Giulietta Ciambotti, Tierney Sutton and Robbie Wyckoff. It’s hard to single any one of the singers’ performances, as every single one is incredibly strong and emotive. Forman’s playing is equally powerful and perfect, serving not as an accompaniment, but the ring of the piano becoming a duet with the vocals. Incredibly well done. This is one comes highly recommended. Bravo.

(Doxy Records)

Road Shows 2, is a snapshot of a legend who remains as dedicated to his craft as ever. Recorded in 2010 during a couple of his 80th birthday concerts shows in New York and Tokyo, tenor sax giant Sonny Rollins is the centerpiece turned-Master of Ceremonies for a star-studded production featuring other current and future legends. Among his guest performers is guitarist Russell Malone, bassists Christian McBride and Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Kobie Watkins. Also notable are performances from trumpeter Roy Hargrove, guitar great Jim Hall and alto sax stalwart Ornette Coleman. If that’s not enough, the drum master Roy Haynes, five years senior to the birthday guest, joins the party as well. The musical menu of standards is augmented nicely by a couple signature Rollins compositions and the result of all the above a fantastic recording and wonderful performance. What a wonderful way to celebrate the genius and enduring flame of one of jazz’s great lights.

(Verve Records)

Some critics have said that jazz declined when it lost its emphasis on dance, well New Orleans’ Troy Andrews, a.k.a., Trombone Shorty’s music brings back the dance in a way that is connecting with new and older generation of listeners alike. For True is the follow-up to Shorty’s widely recognized debut, which earned him tremendous praise and a Grammy-nomination. The music here is jazzy, funky, hard-rocking, soulful and even hip-hop-ish at times and sure to his further appeal to a growing audience of loyal fans. As evidence of his broad appeal, Andrews is joined by an equally diverse guest lineup of serious talent appearing on various selections, including the legendary Jeff Beck on guitar, Lenny Kravitz on bass, Ledisi, Ivan and Cyril Neville on vocals, Stanton Moore on drums and Rebirth Brass Band, led by Shorty’s older brother, Glen Andrews on trumpet. All of the tunes of written by Andrew and members of his talented band, Orleans Avenue. The end result of all this energy is a product that will continue to elevate Trombone Shorty as one of the music’s shining lights, whose luminance is reaching well beyond the jazz perimeter.

(Concord Picante)

Percussionist-composer Poncho Sanchez and trumpeter-composer Terence Blanchard pay tribute to legendary percussionist Chano Pozo and the great trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, whom Sanchez credits as being the creators of Latin jazz. Chano y Dizzy! is lushness meets latin groove, with Blanchard and Sanchez blending wonderfully on this collection of tunes associated with and inspired by their instrumental predecessors. The project is further enhanced by an outstanding backing unit, which includes pianist David Torres, saxophonist Rob Hardt, trumpeter Ron Blake, trombonist/vocalist Francisco Torres, bassist Tony Banda, timbalist George Ortiz, and percussionist Joey De Leon, Jr. .

(Motema)

JC Stylles is a fantastic jazz guitarist in the tradition of some of jazz’s great six string players. On his new release, he demonstrates this connection. Exhilaration and Other States is, much like its name, an exploration of various musical moods. Joined on Hammond-B3 organ by Pat Bianchi and on drums by Lawrence Leathers, Stylles lays down some serious hot and cool guitar licks. The three-man unit produces a big sound, covering compositions by Billie Holiday, Cole Porter, Wayne Shorter and Stevie Wonder, among others in their diverse selection. Stylles’ arranging and instrument mastery make him a standout player in a sea of great talents on the guitar.

(Oo-Bla-Dee)

For her third album release, pianist Joan Stiles teams with drummer Matt Wilson and saxophonist Joel Frahm for an engaging musical exploration titled Three Musicians. There’s a rawness to the interplay that feels completely live and not overproduced. Instead, what you hear are three great talents who are very accomplished with their chosen instruments and the combination of three is terrific.The songs selected here are mostly covers, including tunes by Thelonious Monk, Billy Strayhorn and Jerome Kern, but the arrangements that Stiles brings to them gives them freshness. This is a great musical ride, one that is well worth the trip .

(Jazzed Media)

San Francisco-based Deborah Winters is a true songtress, something she conveys quite well on her third and latest recording, Lovers After All.  The album, comprised mostly of ballads, is nicely arranged by trumpeter Peter Welker, who also produced the album, which allows Winters wonderful voice and phrasing to resonate. The tunes chosen are a mix of well-known standards and lesser-known ones as well. In addition to Welker, the singer is aided by the talents of keyboardist Pete Levin, saxophonist Andrew Speight, pianist Mark Levine, drummer Kevin Dillion and a host of others. The horn section on the project provides an excellent framework for Winters to work in and around. This is a wonderful vocal recording .

(SMS Jazz)

The venerable, and seemingly tireless, Mort Weiss continues to explore new combinations and musical connections. Never one to settle for the old formulas, on his latest he teams with pianist Bill Cunliffe for a fantastic product. Weiss, who is stellar as usual on clarinet, cedes a great deal of the floor to Cunliffe, who delivers with virtuoso solos on everything he plays. The two gentlemen are joined by the great Sam Most on flute. The production swings, of course, but also takes some interesting turns, mixing in a spoken word piece delivered by Peter Marx and a song co-written and performed by his grandson Anthony Weiss, who also plays guitar on the track. Contributing to the terrific band here are Roy McCurdy on drums, Ron Escheté on guitar, Chris Conner on bass and Scott Yanow, also on clarinet. The main menu of music on the project is courtesy of the likes of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Kurt Weill and Anthony Newley, among others. As you’ll hear in the exuberant exhortations supporting his fellow musicians, Weiss clearly had as good a time making this recording, as you’ll have listening to it.

(Emarcy)

Dee Dee Bridgewater stands as one of jazz’s most versatile singers. She covers the full range of the emotional spectrum of music. Midnight Sun is a collection of ballads from her various albums over the past decade and a half, from Dear Ella to the Grammy-winning Elenora Fagan. The selection and sequence of tunes is great. To hear the singer’s fantastic and seductive delivery of words and magic in a concentrated package, is to be reminded of the exquisite artistry that has been the hallmark of all her work.