Thomas Conrad

Scenes: Variable Clouds; Owen Broder: Hodges: Front and Center, Vol.1; Ahmad Jamal: Emerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse 1965–1966.

John Escreet: Seismic Shift, Amina Figarova: Joy and Ivo Perelman/Matthew Shipp: Fruition.

Here It Is: A Tribute To Leonard Cohen
Norah Jones, Peter Gabriel, Gregory Porter, Sarah McLachlan, Luciana Souza, James Taylor, Iggy Pop, Mavis Staples, David Gray, Nathaniel Rateliff, vocals; Bill Frisell, guitar; Immanuel Wilkins, alto saxophone; Kevin Hays, piano, Estey; Scott Colley, bass; Nate Smith, drums; Gregory Leisz, pedal steel guitar; Larry Goldings, Hammond organ
Blue Note B003552102 (CD, available as download, LP). 2022. Larry Klein, prod.; Adam Greenspan, eng.; other engineers for seven vocal tracks.
Performance ****½
Sonics ****

This is not just another Leonard Cohen tribute album. It is an ambitious, unified work of art. The performances are all new. They constitute a profound encounter with a towering figure among North American songwriters.

Keith Jarrett: Bordeaux Concert, Barre Phillips, György Kurtág Jr.: Face à Face, Al Foster: Reflections and Dado Moroni: There Is No Greater Love.

The first European jazz festival I ever attended was in 2006. It was the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy, one of the biggest. Tens of thousands of people overran the cobblestone streets and piazzas of Perugia's old town. The music began before noon and ended long after midnight. At the end of 10 days, I was delirious from joy and sleep deprivation.

Steve Cardenas/Ben Allison/Ted Nash: Healing Power: The Music of Carla Bley, Matthew Shipp Trio: World Construct and Tyshawn Sorey Trio: Mesmerism.

John Scofield: John Scofield, Fabian Willmann Trio: Balance and Charles Mingus: Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus.