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Let Freedom Swing
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
On Let Freedom Swing, the latest release from Blue Engine Records, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis celebrates the charismatic leaders who gave voice to the struggle for freedom. Originally recorded live during a 2004 concert, the album features six stunning, sprawling musical commissions that paint a backdrop for inspirational oratory on liberty by Václav Havel, Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Desmond Tutu. Delivering these leaders’ inspirational words are modern icons including Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, Patricia Clarkson, Glenn Close, Keith David, Mario Van Peebles, and Alfre Woodard.
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The Ever Fonky Lowdown
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
“You really just want to be entertained,” says Mr. Game, the sly hustler-narrator played by acclaimed actor Wendell Pierce who presides over Wynton Marsalis’s new masterpiece The Ever Fonky Lowdown. Combining droll commentary with soulful, big band-backed vocals, the Lowdown is definitely entertaining—but it also brilliantly reveals Marsalis’s incisive, panoramic view of modern society.
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The ROAR AND THE WHISPER
ALEXA TARANTINO
Alexa Tarantino’s fifth studio album The Roar and the Whisper is a spellbinding new chapter in the reedist’s evolution. The record features Tarantino’s sophisticated compositions as well as her razor-sharp quartet, with Steven Feifke on piano, Philip Norris on bass, and Mark Whitfield Jr. on drums. Percussionist Keita Ogawa performs on “Tigress” and multi-Grammy-Award-winning vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant contributes her stellar vocals to two songs, including her own composition, “Moon Song.” Whether roaring or whispering, Tarantino plays with the exuberance and expressive brilliance that have become her hallmarks, delivering a sound that is fearless, immersive, and unmistakably her own.
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The Music Of Max Roach
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
Max Roach was a revolutionary drummer, composer, and activist. Now, to celebrate what would have been his 100th birthday, the JLCO releases The Music of Max Roach, their tribute to a 20th century icon.
Taken from a live performance music-directed by the JLCO’s own drummer Obed Calvaire, The Music of Max Roach includes new big band arrangements of some of Roach’s most searing compositions and gives the icon the thrilling retrospective his artistry deserves.
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AMONG GIANTS
SARAH HANAHAN
Alto saxophonist Sarah Hanahan’s debut album Among Giants showcases her raw talent, her unique voice, and her deeply felt, instantly memorable compositions. The album also demonstrates why she’s the heir to a jazz tradition she’s long revered, teaming her up with a band of legends who’ve helped nurture the young lion’s burgeoning career.
Featuring all-stars Marc Cary on piano, Nat Reeves on bass, and Jeff “Tain” Watts on drums, Among Giants finds Hanahan marshaling a powerhouse rhythm section to make an unforgettable statement that announces her arrival on the global jazz scene. Already hailed by NPR’s “Youngbloods” series as a star in the making, Hanahan is a young star revolutionizing the genre.
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The Love Suite: In Mahogany
Roy Hargrove
Roy Hargrove, named “the most impactful trumpeter of his generation” by The New York Times, left behind a remarkable legacy when he passed in 2018. Now, Blue Engine Records, celebrates Hargrove’s legacy with the release of an unearthed gem from the JALC archives: Roy Hargrove’s The Love Suite: In Mahogany – Live from Jazz at Lincoln Center, a live performance of a JALC-commissioned suite that Hargrove never played in full again.
Commissioned by Jazz at Lincoln Center to compose and perform The Love Suite: In Mahogany, a then-23-year-old Hargrove demonstrates a remarkably mature approach to his craft. For the first time, this historic concert—captured at Alice Tully Hall in 1993 during one of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s earliest seasons—is available via digital streaming platforms. This album showcases the trumpet virtuosity and soulful songwriting for which Hargrove continues to be celebrated.
The Power of the Spirit
This hard-swinging, high-flying live album from emerging piano talent Isaiah J. Thompson captures a rollicking night in Dizzy’s Club.
The Music of Wayne Shorter
Listen to the legendary saxophonist’s only performances alongside the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.
Live in Cuba
The album that started it all. Blue Engine’s first release bottles the magic of the JLCO’s historic, celebrated first performances in Havana.
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