via No Depression
Catherine Russell & Sean Mason – My Ideal
There are jazz singers, there are great jazz vocalists, then there is Catherine Russell. For her ninth album, she forgoes her usual backing band and performs alone with pianist Sean Mason. Her interplay, where you distinctly hear her marvelous voice lovingly caressing the lyrics, with Mason is extraordinary. A beautiful record by my favorite vocalist.
Abdullah Ibrahim – 3
The album contains two on stage performances in London in 2023: one live before a sold out audience, and the other on the afternoon before that show by Ibrahim and his trio. Here is what Will Friedwald, the Dean of jazz critics said about the South African pianist: “One of the most lyrical of contemporary jazzmen… the atmosphere is more like a classical concert than a jazz event; throughout, the house keeps incredibly still, like it is hanging on every note and doesn’t want to miss a single one of them.” Ibrahim was also interviewed last year on NPR’s World Café.