Vanisha Gould & Chris McCarthy – Life’s a Gig (Fresh Sound/New Talent)

Credit goes to Leslie for hearing this one first, and hipping me to Life’s a Gig, a sparse, elegant and ultimately charming disc by vocalist Vanisha Gould and pianist Chris McCarthy. Gould and McCarthy run through an interesting batch of material over the course of Life’s a Gig’s nine tracks. While there are few surprises to be heard on “Cool,” “What a Little Moonlight Can Do,” or the now well-known lyrics to “Monk’s Dream,” Gould’s own lyrics to McCoy Tyner’s “Aisha” are a nice surprise indeed. As is the dirge-ish take on Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” As I finished listening to the last notes of this album on “The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea,” I was struck by absolutely pleasant the experience was. I think you’ll do the same.

Black Art Jazz Collective – Truth to Power (High Note)

The Black Art Jazz Collective, run collectively by Wayne Escoffery (tenor sax), Jeremy Pelt (trumpet) and James Burton III (trombone), is back with a new album, Truth to Power. On six tracks, they’re augmented by the rhythm section of Xavier Davis, Vicente Archer and Johnathan Blake and on four songs, we get the equally tasty trio of Victor Gould, Rashaan Carter and Mark Whitfield, Jr. This group has always given off strong Miles Davis 60’s quintet vibes, and that remains the case here. The opening track on the album, “Black Heart” could have easily been found on E.S.P. The jaunty and kinda funky rhythm that propels “The Fabricator” is a lot of fun to listen to, and it clearly gives Pelt and Escoffery a bunch of ideas to work with. “It’s Alright” has a bouncy feel reminiscent of Horace Parlan. So, as you can tell, there’s myriad influences going into the Black Art Jazz Collective, and much excellent music coming out of it.

Caesar Frazier – Live at Jazzcup (Stunt Records)

Organist Caesar Frazier was in Copenhagen Denmark in November of 2022 when Live at Jazzcup was recorded. Joined by talented local folks Kreston Osgood on the drums, Johannes Wamberg on guitar and Jonas Kullhammer on the tenor saxophone, these four spend an hour grooving HARD. Those grooves come in multiple flavors, too. “Jive Samba” loses its bossa nova/samba feel for something closer to a danceable funk. We do, however, get a bossa nova for real on “You Don’t Know What Love Is.” The lone original here, “King of Leonne” is a finger poppin’ swinger, and Kullhammer doesn’t let the opportunity to rip through a fire breathing solo go to waste. The seemingly never-ending flow of ideas on “Willow Weep for Me” is nothing short of awesome, and I can’t stop thinking about Charles Earland as Frazier turns “I Wanna Make It With You” into a certified barn burner. I’ve heard his recent solo albums, and they’re good. But hearing him live? Now that’s a revelation.