Piano Mastery, Trinidadian Trumpet, Singing Apes: New Jazz

It's been too long since we simply sat up and pointed out a few of the many new releases worth a set of ears. Luckily, the staff on weekends at All Things Consideredthought the same. They invited me to sit down with host Jacki Lyden and play a few cuts for them.

Here's music from an elder statesman of piano, a trumpeter who understands creole music personally, a drummer who writes tunes with a payoff, and a singer in her early 20s with maturity and kick.

Credit Photo: Laura Ferreira / Courtesy of the artist - 

Trumpeter Etienne Charles' new album is called Creole Soul.

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Transcript

JACKI LYDEN, HOST:

Once again, this is WEEKENDS on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Jacki Lyden. And it's time now for music.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC, "I'M WALKING")

LYDEN: That's the pianist Harold Mabern from a live recording he made just last year. It's one of the records that NPR music jazz blogger Patrick Jarenwattananon brought to our attention. Patrick, it is great to have you here with us. Welcome.

PATRICK JARENWATTANANON, BYLINE: Well, thanks, Jacki.

LYDEN: So tell me about this music, Harold Mabern. I - I'm in the presence, obviously, of a very talented piano player.

JARENWATTANANON: Indeed you are. Harold Mabern is one of those guys who came to New York in, say, late '50s, early '60s - around then - one of the golden ages of recorded jazz in some form. He played with a lot of the greats. He played with a band called the Jazztet with Art Farmer and Benny Golson. He was in Miles Davis' band for a little bit. This is an older song, but it's a new live recording.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC, "I'M WALKING")

JARENWATTANANON: This is the song "I'm Walking" that you may know as made famous by Fats Domino. And it was recorded at a small club called, well, Smalls. It's your typical New York City basement room. You know, you walk downstairs, except this one happens to have a house record label. So imagine this, you know, legendary pianist who's been around for the better part of half a century and just two other guys and 100 people. That's the sort of character that you see in this recording).

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC, "I'M WALKING")

LYDEN: Harold Mabern, great soulful character to this. I suppose what we should expect from someone who's been to the "golden era of jazz," quote, unquote.

JARENWATTANANON: Absolutely. I mean, so many of those guys, I mean, once they're gone, they're gone. So we really do need to appreciate them while we still can. But, you know, I don't really like to give off the impression that those are the only musicians who are still making jazz. In fact, there's constantly influxes of new talent. And so I made sure to also cue up some music for you, Jacki, by some artists who are younger and whose music reflects that.

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