New Music Monday — Leigh Pilzer; Altin Sencalar; and The Jazz Defenders

Tune in to New Music Monday for April 1 at noon  (no fooling)…Arturo Gómez will debut music from Leigh Pilzer, Altin Sencalar, and The Jazz Defenders.

Leigh Pilzer’s Seven Pointed Star: “Beatin’ The Odds”
A long-time member of the Diva Jazz Orchestra, she has also played with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and now debuts with her own band for her first recording as a leader. Baritone saxophonist Leigh is also an in-demand composer and arranger. The Washington DC native is a cancer survivor that overcame a demanding situation with excellent results! Pilzer was battling cancer during the Pandemic after obtaining her doctoral degree in music which is the inspiration for her album’s title. All nine selections of this session have titles reflecting the struggles endured during her fight with cancer and the isolation of the Pandemic. Several of her bandmates from Diva are part of her Seven Pointed Star ensemble.

Altin Sencalar: “Discover the Present”
After earning his Bachelor of Music from his hometown’s University of Texas at Austin, Altin went on to obtain his Master of Music in Jazz Studies at Michigan State University in East Lansing. While at MSU Sencalar released his highly acclaimed album “In Good Standing” featuring MSU faculty members. He has been in demand as an educator, and accompanist for some prestigious names of jazz and now launched his follow up recording, once again he teams up with his former sidemen which also features Denver’s own, Rudy Royston on drums. Altin Sencalar will play Dazzle on July 17.

The Jazz Defenders: “Memory in Motion”
The surprise recording for KUVO Jazz and many other jazz outlets in 2023 was the arrival of The Jazz Defenders’ previous album, “Scheming”. This unknown ensemble from the UK’s debut was a head noddin,’ foot tappin’ release from start to finish. Their secret sauce is their collective love of the classic Blue Note Records sound they add to their original compositions played by some of the UK’s finest young players. They are known for their mesmerizing performances and are currently the most popular group that plays at the legendary London jazz club, Ronnie Scott’s. The band continues its impressive soul jazz sound with this follow-up which is sure to be as popular as their debut album.

Now in its 21st year of debuting the latest arrivals to the KUVO Jazz library, many of them are played ahead of their official release date. In addition to the music comments, I’ll provide a few tidbits about the artist, if it’s a new or an up-and-coming artist. It all begins at Noon every Monday.

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