Miguel Zenón, Navegando (Las Estrellas Nos Guían), Miel Music ****

Track of the day and new in the one luv spot we luck out today in a latin-jazz sound playground on this from one of the world's greatest alto saxophone auteurs - the Puerto Rico born composer of considerable clout and imagination Miguel Zenón here …

Published: 23 Aug 2022. Updated: 19 months.

Track of the day and new in the one luv spot we luck out today in a latin-jazz sound playground on this from one of the world's greatest alto saxophone auteurs - the Puerto Rico born composer of considerable clout and imagination Miguel Zenón here with 'Navegando (Las Estrellas Nos Guían)' that features Puerto Rico band Los Pleneros de La Cresta which in its instrumentation has panderos (tambourine), percussion and vocals within its sound.

Drawn from Música De Las Américas (Miel Music) out this Friday the project is described by Zenón as ''music inspired by the history of the American continent: not only before European colonization, but also by what’s happened since - cause and effect”. The San Juan-born maestro leads his classic quartet of pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Hans Glawischnig and drummer Henry Cole often present at the heart of the best of what he does. The band is formidable live as we discovered in 2009 hearing them outdoors at the Malta Jazz Festival as they performed on a stage that overlooked Valletta's vast harbour.

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Short Kurts to a seriously happening Euro jazz scene this autumn in our latest snapshot

Autumn live gig overall jazz choices in the Euro clubs: Kurt Elling feat. Charlie Hunter who appear at the Blue Note in Milan on 4 and 5 November followed hard on the heels in the same spot by the Dave Holland supergroup - Aziza. Kurt Elling's …

Published: 23 Aug 2022. Updated: 19 months.

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Autumn live gig overall jazz choices in the Euro clubs: Kurt Elling feat. Charlie Hunter who appear at the Blue Note in Milan on 4 and 5 November followed hard on the heels in the same spot by the Dave Holland supergroup - Aziza.

Kurt Elling's to-die-for version of the Doc Pomus classic 'Lonely Avenue' first recorded and released by Ray Charles in 1956 was the easy pick of the recent soaraway 5-track EP SuperBlue - The London Sessions from the great Chicagoan Elling. Backing vocals on this ''Live at the Pool'' set were by Vula Malinga and La Donna Young with Charlie Hunter taking a strutting but never over-the-top guitar solo that ambles along mightily and there's drummer Corey Fonville who provides a laidback groove as DJ Harrison divvies up an airplane-doing-the-taxiing like keyboards as the ensemble start to rev the mother up oh so effortlessly and roar to put their own stamp on this evergreen break-up beauty and run that particular voodoo of a heartbreak down.

ADDITIONAL CHOICES

  • A-Trane Berlin Julia Hülsmann Quartet 14 September

  • Blue Note, Milan Mike Stern Band 22 and 23 Sept, Jeremy Pelt Quintet 4 October, Yellowjackets 19 Oct, Kurt Elling 4 and 5 November, Aziza 11 Nov, Kenny Garrett 17 Nov, Richard Bona 25 November

And in another coup for Milan Aziza are to appear this autumn, that's the Dave Holland supergroup featuring bass legend Holland along with saxophonist Chris Potter, guitarist Lionel Loueke and drummer Eric Harland. Their 2016 self-titled album was - and remains - a sensation and classic of jazz made over the past 20 years. More on Dave - read an interview with the great in Leroy lives

  • Le duc des Lombards Paris Danny Grissett trio 14 September, Judith Owens and her New Orleans Gentlemen Callers 16 Sept, Camilla George 23 and 24 Sept, Billy Hart quartet feat Ethan Iverson 27 and 28 Sept

  • Moods Zurich Rymden 3 October, Shai Maestro Quartet 15 Oct, Mark Guiliana 18 Oct, Eivind Aarset Quartet 25 Oct, Ashley Henry 31 Oct, The Bad Plus 7 Nov, Makaya McCraven 12 Nov, Linda May Han Oh Quartet 15 Nov

  • Sunset Sunside Paris Aruán Ortiz trio 14 Sept, Tord Gustavsen trio 30 Sept and 1 Oct, Dan Tepfer 4 and 5 Oct, Peter Bernstein Quartet feat Sullivan Fortner 19 Oct, Tim Hagans Quartet 29 Oct, Aaron Parks Little Big 2 Nov, Ariel Bart 22 Nov, Steve Kuhn trio 25 and 26 Nov,

  • Unterfahrt Munich Julia Hülsmann Quartet 29 Sept Bob Reynolds Group 8 Oct

  • Victoria Nasjonal Jazzscene Oslo Nils Petter Molvær 9 Sept, Hakon Kornstad trio 1 Oct, Helen Sung trio 8 Oct, Gretchen Parlato trio 14 Oct, James Brandon Lewis trio 20 Oct, Julian Lage, 21 Oct, Trygve Seim 27 Oct, John McLaughlin 23 and 24 Nov, Jacob Young Trio 10 December.

Kurt Elling, top

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