Brief Notes On New Jazz Releases

Here are notes on a few new jazz releases you might want to check out.

CeCe Gable: “Love On The Tyrrhenian” – Vocalist and composer CeCe Gable’s new album features most covers, along with a couple of original compositions. It opens with one of the original numbers, the album’s title track, which CeCe Gable wrote with Corky Brumble. This track has a strong rhythm, and it takes us to a different time and place, as she sings in the song’s first line, “Once upon a summertime when we were young and free.” From her delivery, it doesn’t seem all that long ago, and least not in her mind, her heart. “Two lovers walking hand in hand, with no one else to please/As we sail into the world with all these memories.” It’s the kind of scene we all imagine for ourselves, isn’t it? Scenes we wish we had in our past, or, even better, in our near future. The music makes it feel possible. CeCe Gable keeps us in that general area of the world with “The Riviera,” a song originally recorded by Mabel Mercer and also by Blossom Dearie. She conveys the excitement and romance of the place with her vocal approach. And I love that little “Ooh la  la” she tosses in halfway through. We remain on the water with the next track, “Little Boat,” a song that Peggy Lee recorded. “Bouncing merrily along,” CeCe Gable sings, and the rhythm then has that feel. And the song, like this album’s first track, mentions “paradise,” helping to transport us and set the mood. She also adds some sweet-sounding scat partway through. Bill Hecht delivers some nice work on piano. “You And The Night And The Music” contains some absolutely wonderful guitar work by Akio Sasajima, and also one of the album’s best vocal performances. CeCe Gable is just completely delicious here. And check out that bass work by Harvie S. Everything comes together perfectly to make this track one of the highlights of the album. And it is followed by another highlight, “Small Today Tomorrow.” CeCe Gable presents a cool rendition that features another excellent vocal performance, as well as some nice work on piano by John Shipley and on guitar by Angelo Earl. CeCe’s delivery of “Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most” has an intimate quality. The energy then rises on “Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home,” which has a fun vibe. You can hear the smile in CeCe’s delivery. “I’ll See You In C-U-B-A” contains another of this album’s outstanding vocal performances. CeCe Gable does a phenomenal job on this one. And I love the drum work by Tony Savage. The album concludes with its second original composition, “Once Again It’s Winter,” which, like the opening track, was written by CeCe Gable and Corky Brumble. Akio Sasajima provides some sweet work on guitar. “Now and then I wonder aloud/If the things that matter the most/Are only fleeting moments in time.” This album was released on May 24, 2024.

Sergio Pereira: “Bossa+” – Guitarist and composer Sergio Pereira’s new album features mostly original material. He plays guitar and violão, along with some percussion. Joining him on this release are Chipi Chacón on trumpet and flugelhorn, Luis Guerra on piano and keyboard, Ariel Ramirez on bass, and Mauricio Zottarelli on drums and percussion. From the beginning of the album’s first track, “Bossa,” Sergio Pereira offers music that soothes us, that gently caresses us and urges us toward joy. The flugelhorn has an uplifting aspect from the start, but it is the guitar work, particularly in the middle, that especially raises our spirits. The lead on piano also engages us, and the effect is to remind us of the great dance that we’re all a part of, to lead us to focus on that rather than on the seeming chaos that constantly wants our attention. “Bossa” is followed by “Sea Of Love,” and this track features Sergio Pereira on vocals in addition to guitar. This is an original song, not the Phil Phillips number. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “In my dreams we leave and sail away/In this sea of love, we’re diving deep/Beneath the moonlit skies, our love just flies/Without an anchor to hold us tight.” Who among us doesn’t dream of sailing away with that special someone? This track features some really nice work on trumpet. Then “One For Pat” features a different group of musicians: Romero Lubambo on violão, Ivan “Melon” Lewis on piano, Ivan Ruiz Machado on bass, and Jose San Martin on drums. On this one, Sergio Pereira also offers some soothing vocal work, but without lyrics, creating a dreamy atmosphere. “Montgo” will likely get your body moving, swaying. It contains a wonderful rhythm, and features some strong work on guitar. My favorite element of this one, however, is Chipi Chacón’s work, which seems to fly unburdened, certainly raising our spirits. I wish that lead went on a bit longer. Toward the end, there is some vocal work, but again with lyrics. And check out the drum work in that section. Romero Lubambo joins the group on violão for “Saudades,” a track that features a good groove, and some excellent playing by both Pereira and Lubambo, particularly in that section toward the end where they respond to each other. The final of the album’s original compositions is “Desamor,” which has a funky element, heard mainly in the bass line. It is also the second track to feature lyrics, this time delivered in Portuguese. The lyrics were written by Murilo Antunes. The album then concludes with its sole cover, ”There Will Never Be Another You,” this rendition having a fun bossa nova rhythm and featuring some excellent work on guitar. I love the drum work on this track, and there is even a solo in the second half. This album was released on April 24, 2024.

Leigh Pilzer’s Seven Pointed Star: “Beatin’ The Odds” – Leigh Pilzer is an accomplished saxophone player and composer. You might know her from her work in The DIVA Jazz Orchestra, or from her group Leigh Pilzer’s Low Standards, or from her other group Leigh Pilzer Startet. Her new group, Leigh Pilzer’s Seven Pointed Star, features Amy Shook on bass. Interestingly, on the band’s first album, Beatin’ The Odds, there are actually two different bands, though all include Amy Shook. The first five tracks feature Ally Hany Albrecht on trumpet, Mercedes Beckman on alto saxophone, Jen Krupa on trombone, Amy K. Bormet on piano, and Sherrie Maricle on drums. The last four tracks feature Kenny Rittenhouse on trumpet, Tim Green on alto saxophone, Joe Jackson on trombone, Allyn Johnson on piano, and Frank Russo on drums. Leigh Pilzer plays baritone saxophone, bass saxophone and bass clarinet. She wrote all but one of the album’s tracks. The album opens with “SKCC,” which stands for Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, where Leigh Pilzer was diagnosed and treated. But this track is not a downer. In fact, it has a rather positive feel, and features some lively work from several players. “Lin” continues the theme, this song named after her surgeon. This one has a more thoughtful, gentle feel, yet with strength at its center. There is a wonderful section where the bass leads, and that continues as the piano joins the bass and drums. And there is some moving work on saxophone. “Waterkress,” named after her oncologist, has a bright vibe right from its opening moments, like opening curtains on a room that has remained dark long enough. There is a delightfully cheerful feel to this track, even a playfulness, and it is one of my personal favorites. It’s a piece that tells us things are going to be all right. “The Platinum Taxi” includes a good drum solo, which interestingly comes right at the end. The track even fades out on the drum solo, which is unusual. The album’s title track is the only track not composed by Leigh Pilzer. It was written by Amy Shook for Leigh, regarding Leigh’s odds of surviving five years. And Leigh has indeed beaten the odds. There is a certain determination heard in the music here. I particularly like that section of bass and drums in the second half. The rest of the album, with the other musicians, tackles a different subject, that being the pandemic. The first of these tracks, “And Then It Stopped,” is about that moment in March 2020 when everything suddenly came to a stop. There was no work, which I would have enjoyed if there’d been concerts to attend. But there were no concerts. You can feel the different instruments react to the news of the cancellations in this tune. This track has a delicious groove. While “The Platinum Taxi” faded out on percussion, “How Much Longer” begins with percussion. Greg Holloway joins the group on percussion on this track. This piece reflects on the uncertainty of the time. We had many questions, but no answers were coming. The album concludes with “Where Will We Go?” which looks to the future, something we did a lot of during the pandemic. This album was released on March 29, 2024.

Jane Scheckter: “I’ll Take Romance” – On her new album, vocalist Jane Scheckter focuses on love songs. We all need love and romance, and to keep our sanity in these divisive times perhaps we should all focus a little more on them. This album will help. Joining Jane Scheckter on this release are Tedd Firth on piano, Jay Leonhart on bass, and Peter Grant on drums. She opens the album with Stephen Sondheim’s “Love, I Hear,” her voice at first supported by some really nice work on bass before the others come in. Jay Leonhart, in addition to delivering that great stuff on bass, delivers some scat in the middle of this track. Then Warren Vaché joins the group on cornet for “I’ll Be Easy To Find,” delivering a moving lead halfway through. This track also features a warm, intimate, and gorgeous vocal performance that grabs hold of us immediately. “I’ll be easy to find/When love comes looking for me/I’ll stand there with my arms out/So that I’ll be easy to see.” Oh yes, isn’t that how we should all receive love? And I love the romantic feel of the piano work. This is one of my favorite tracks. It is followed by the album’s title track, which begins with some nice work on piano and features a joyful vocal performance. “You’d Better Love Me” is another of the disc’s highlights, with that delicious bass line and Jane’s delightful and playful and energetic vocal delivery. Then Warren Vaché provides another wonderful lead on cornet during that excellent instrumental section of “Moments Like This.” Jane completely inhabits a song like “My Foolish Heart.” Just listen to the way she delivers the lines, “There’s a line between love and fascination/That’s hard to see on an evening such as this/For they both give the very same sensation/When you’re lost in the magic of a kiss.” She is right there, and through her performance puts us right there too. Her rendition of “I’m Gonna Lock My Heart And Throw Away The Key” is fun and lively, and features some excellent work by Warren Vaché on flugelhorn. “You Are Not My First Love” features another strong vocal performance. “You are not my first love/I’ve known other charms/But I’ve just been rehearsing/In those other arms.” Oh yes, for those of us who found true love a little later in life, these lines ring true, particularly the way Jane Scheckter sings them. I’ve said before that you can never go wrong with Gershwin, and on this album Jane gives us a wonderful rendition of “Isn’t It A Pity.” Nicolas King joins her on vocals for this song. That’s followed by a touching rendition of Peggy Lee’s “Then Was Then.” There is one original composition on this album, “Looking Back,” with music by Michael Leonard, and lyrics by Roger Schore and Jane Scheckter. It follows “Then Was Then,” and is also a stirring and beautiful number. “A choice I made, the chance I missed/Keep running all through my mind/Alone with someone wonderful/Whose smile I left behind.” This album was released on March 15, 2024.

Amber Weekes: “A Lady With A Song: Amber Weekes Celebrates Nancy Wilson” – On her new album, vocalist Amber Weekes celebrates the music of Nancy Wilson, covering songs that Wilson herself covered during her incredible career. She opens the album with a delightful, lively and joyous rendition of “Gentleman Friend,” featuring a bright vocal performance and also some really nice work by Russell Malone on guitar. That’s followed by “Save Your Love For Me,” which was the lead track from the album Nancy Wilson and Cannonball Adderly released in the early 1960s. This rendition has more of a 1970s vibe, and contains some wonderful work by Gerald Albright on tenor saxophone. This album’s title track, “A Lady With A Song,” was the title track to Nancy Wilson’s1989 album. I love the approach here, particularly the rhythm on guitar, and Amber Weekes’ warm and friendly performance. “I can give you spring on a cold winter’s day,” she sings, and we hear the truth of her statement. “Ten Good Years” is a playful song that Nancy Wilson included on her 1965 live album. Amber Weekes gets into the spirit of it here with her rendition of a song that jokes that a woman has got only ten good years, something both she and Nancy Wilson have proved to be patently false. This track is a highlight for me, in large part because of Amber’s performance, especially that section where she goes through each year. Wonderful stuff! And speaking of wonderful, Amber Weekes then covers “What A Little Moonlight Can Do” from Nancy Wilson’s Something Wonderful album. This version has its own spin, beginning with a cool bass line. And Amber’s voice matches, even exceeds that level of cool, making this another of the disc’s highlights. Russell Malone again shines on guitar. From But Beautiful, Amber Weekes chooses “Supper Time” (here listed as “Suppertime”), delivering a fantastic and powerful rendition, reminding us just what this song is actually about. It was inspired by a news story about a lynching, and this rendition includes a spoken work section in the second half. It also features some beautiful work by Mark Cargill on violin. Mark Cargill also delivers some wonderful stuff on “Wave,” which follows. From Welcome To My Love, Amber Weekes covers “I’m Always Drunk In San Francisco (And I Don’t Drink At All),” here listed as simply “I’m Always Drunk In San Francisco.” She delivers an absolutely delicious rendition, featuring a captivating vocal performance and a great lead on trumpet by Rashawn Ross. That’s followed by yet another of the disc’s highlights, “The Best Is Yet To Come,” this track featuring Rickey Woodard on tenor saxophone. Then Paul Baker delivers some pretty work on harp on “You’re Gonna Hear From Me.” That song was included on Nancy Wilson’s A Touch Of Today, and from that same record comes this album’s final track, “Wasn’t It Wonderful.” Just as this album began, it concludes with a lively and bright number. This album is scheduled to be released on June 6, 2024.