What's New on WDCB... with Paul Abella

This week, I am sharing with you a few of the CDs that are available for your contribution of $120 during our Fall Pledge Drive…

Conrad Herwig – The Latin Side of Chick Corea (Savant)

Conrad Herwig’s series of The Latin Side of… albums has been an interesting deep dive into the catalogs of Miles Davis, Horace Silver, Charles Mingus, Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, and now, Chick Corea. As it’s always been, the Latin Side band is a solid group of all-stars, featuring not only the leader on trombone, but also Craig Handy on woodwinds, Alex Norris on trumpet, Bill O’Connell on piano, Ruben Rodriguez on bass, Robby Ameen on drums and Mauricio Herrera on congas. Many of the songs here will be familiar to anyone with even a passing knowledge of Corea’s songwriting. “Spain,” “500 Miles High,” “Windows” and “Tones for Joan’s Bones” are all here, alongside lesser known gems like “Matrix,” “Litha” and “Humpty Dumpty.” The best part is that they’re all played with tons of energy and passion. The spirit in these recordings is palpable. There’s a reason why these albums are always popular with WDCB’s DJs and listeners: they’re always top-notch. The Latin Side of Chick Corea is no exception.

Branford Marsalis Quartet & Dianne Reeves – Dedicated To You (Blue Note)

The members of the Branford Marsalis Quartet (pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Reeves and drummer Justin Faulkner) have teamed up with vocalist Dianne Reeves to produce a top-notch tribute to John Coltrane in 2026, the year of the Coltrane centennial. Dedicated to You is an album of dark textures, hushed tones (well, maybe not on my stereo), and plenty of space. It’s also, primarily, a collection drawn from John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman (all six of those titles make an appearance, all with Ms. Reeves’ assistance) and Ballads (two of those songs are also here). The other songs are the beautiful Coltrane ballad “Central Park West,” Trane’s take on Confirmation, “26-2” and two versions of “Big Nick.” It would be far too easy to gush over this record. Just drop a needle anywhere, and you’re getting something of beauty, whether it be Reeves’ lovely voice on “They Say It’s Wonderful,” Marsalis’ muscular tenor work on the aforementioned “26-2,” or Eric Reeves and Justin Faulkner’s groove on “Autumn Serenade.” Dedicated To You might be dedicated to John Coltrane, but it’s also clearly dedicated to making a beautiful piece of art for Jazz fans to enjoy in the here and now.

Tommy Muellner – Solitary Moon (Calligram Records)

Chicago pianist Tommy Muellner has just released a new album on Calligram records, Solitary Moon. Backed by a band befitting his talents, he sounds great here. Bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Phil Gratteau round out the rhythm, and they’re aided and abetted by Geof Bradfield’s tenor sax and Art Davis’ trumpet and flugelhorn. Throughout the course of the fifteen songs recorded here, we get a few of Muellner’s original compositions, standards like Jule Styne’s “Make Someone Happy” and Jimmy Van Heusen’s “Like Someone in Love,” and some more modern choices, like Steve Kuhn’s “Oceans in the Sky” and Russ Freeman’s “The Wind.” Everyone’s playing here is tasteful and in the pocket, and this album goes down smoothly. I’m glad that WDCB will get to share this one with the world.

Helen Sung Big Band – Oracles (Sunnyside)

I can’t imagine that writing for, arranging for, let alone running a big band is an easy task, even for someone who might genuinely love it. Helen Sung’s latest project is just that, and it’s clear that she’s poured her heart and soul into the result, the album Oracles. This band’s got some heavyweights in its ranks, including Nicole Glover and John Ellis (saxophones), Alex Norris (trumpet), Vicente Archer (bass), Adam Cruz (drums) and Samuel Torres (percussion). You can hear the talent oozing from this group in the way they sound so relaxed as they make their way through these songs. While listening to “Wayne’s World,” I started to think that this band sounds like a hot knife cutting through butter. On the hard swinging opener, “Convergence,” the rhythm section and the background horns are as precise as a Swiss wristwatch. Tributes to Clark Terry (“Positively C.T.”), Wayne Shorter (the aforementioned “Wayne’s World), Ron Carter (“Mr. Virtuoso”) and Jimmy Heath (“A Little Bird Watchin’”) were clearly written with much love for their subjects. The most fascinating tribute, however, might be the Pianism suite, with movements for Barry Harris, Kenny Barron and Herbie Hancock. Harris’ movement swings, exactly as it should. Barron’s movement evokes some of his 70’s funky gems like “Nubian Lady” or “Swamp Monster,” and Herbie’s hints at hard-hitting fusion moments like “Actual Proof” or “Sly.” Over the course of these twelve tracks, Sung and this impressive band take the listener on quite the journey. Luckily for us, it’s a journey that is absolutely worth the trip.

Eric Alexander & Vincent Herring – Split Decision (Smoke Sessions)

If you’re a record producer looking for an easy slam dunk for a modern Jazz record, getting Vincent Herring, Eric Alexander and Mike LeDonne on the same album is certainly a fantastic starting point. Add John Webber on bass and Lewis Nash on drums, and now you’ve got a band that’s quite nearly unstoppable. On Split Decision, this nearly unstoppable band proves to be a mighty force, indeed. Wasting no time getting started on “Pharoah’s Dance,” this band gets to work and quick, proving that everyone on the bandstand is capable of swinging hard, which they do throughout the six selections heard here. Even the ballad on the set, “My Romance,” gets into a finger snapping groove that is too delicious to ignore. Add in a couple of Hank Mobley gems (“Soft Impressions” and “A Pec a Sec”) and Horace Silver’s “Strollin’,” and you’ve got yourself a slam dunk, indeed.