New Music Monday: Joyful June Jazz

We raise the curtain to June with the return of Spring and some new releases that swing. Ku-umba Frank Lacy & the Mingus Big Band release Mingus Sings with the approval of the widow Mingus, Sue. For this outing, Franks leaves his trombone in its case and sings the songs of Mingus, with lyrics penned by Charles Mingus, Elvis Costello, Langston Hughes, Joni Mitchell, Sue Mingus and others to the superlative all star laden  Mingus Big Band.

Kurt Elling returns with his new recording, Passion World for the Concord label finds Kurt singing in various languages encapsulating various cultures. Elling’s tours around the globe have created a passion for its diversity and its reflected in this new album. The Gary McFarland Legacy Ensemble led by Joe Locke debuts with a tribute to its namesake, the composer and arranger who had a short but influential career, Circulation: The Music of Gary McFarland.  Locke on vibes is joined in part by Ms. Sharel Cassity on sax and Bruce Barth at the piano, Mile Lawrence on bass and Michael Benedict on drums 

We’ll also debut other new arrivals to The Oasis by drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts-Blue: Volume 1, The Bad Plus with Joshua Redman, pianist Jeb Patton’s Shades and Tones,  tenor saxophonist Steve Kaldestad teams up with the Renee Rosnes Trio to issue New York Afternoon, and vocalist Brianna Thomas makes her auspicious debut with You Must Believe In Love with a splendid cast of accompanists.

I invite you to tune in or log on beginning at 12 PM MT!