New Music Monday — Chick Corea/Bela Fleck, Nduduzo Makhathini and Mirror Image

New Music Monday on Lunchtime! with Arturo Gómez as he debuts new music from Chick Corea & Béla Fleck, Nduduzo Makhatini, and Images.

Chick Corea & Béla Fleck: “Remembrance”
For several years, the late Chick Corea and Béla toured throughout the world playing their unique style of jazz. Despite the banjo being a fixture in the early days of traditional jazz in New Orleans, over the decades it fell out of favor. Fleck is considered a virtuoso of the instrument and plays in several genres besides jazz. Chick Corea was a master pianist and amazing composer, four of the songs on this fourteen-track album are never previously heard tunes from the pen of Corea, one is interesting: “Enut Nital” which is a Latin tune written in reverse. One of Béla’s new songs is heartwarming, “Juno” which he wrote for his newborn son while waiting for a delayed flight home that caused him to miss his birth, so he did the next best thing. This recording contains the last studio sessions by Armando Anthony “Chick” Corea.

Nduduzo Makhathini: “Unomkhubulwane”
Growing up in the hillsides of umGungundlove in South Africa, he learned at an early age that music and spirituality were joined at the hip. His hometown is part of the Zulu Dingane kingdom which uses music as the source of healing and motivation. As a youngster, this tradition was instilled in Makhathini as he would hop from church to church to soak up as much music as he could. Nduduzo is determined to keep this tradition alive as well as follow in the footsteps of his fellow South African pianists such as Abdullah Ibrahim (Dollar Brand) and his mentor, Bheki Mseleku. He also cites Randy Weston and Don Pullen as influences in his playing. He is currently the chief instructor at Fort Hare University in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Makhathini is the first South African artist to sign with Blue Note Records, his third album is about the historical oppression of Africa, he is joined by fellow South African bassist, Zwelakhe-Duma Bell la Pere, and the Afro-Cuban drummer, Francisco Mela for a stimulating and profound music journey.

Images: “Mirror Image”
Long-time jazz fans of Denver should recall the group Images which began in the early 1980s and became extremely popular. A mixture of fusion, mainstream jazz, and funk, they were known for their excellent performances. After three albums and tours throughout the US and Canada, the members of the group began following their paths. Now, thirty years later, Images has regrouped, they have a new recording and will return to the stage at Dazzle on Friday, May 24.

Moreover, on Wednesday, May 22 during Lunchtime at the Oasis beginning at Noon, two of the members of the ensemble, Rich Sallee and Joe Anderies will be the in-studio guests of Arturo Gómez to chat about the reunion album and their concert at Dazzle.

Now in its 22nd 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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