ZORN X 2: GUITARS
JOHN ZORN: GARDEN OF FORKING PATHS (Tzadik, $19.99) – The fifth collaboration of guitarists Bill Frisell, Julian Lage, and Gyan Riley (all on acoustic guitars) playing compositions by John Zorn. Garden “draws inspiration from the enigmatic tales of Argentine philosopher/ writer Jorge Luis Borges.”
JOHN ZORN: PERCHANCE TO DREAM (Tzadik, $19.99) – A quartet of Zorn veterans—Bill Frisell, guitar; Brian Marsala, piano/Fender Rhodes; John Medeski, organ; Kenny Wollesen, drums/chimes—play “a beautiful suite of music for late night listening, spiritual and evocative…Structured like a religious mass, these lovely nocturnes take you to an otherworldly space of beauty and tenderness, unlike any other Zorn compositions you have ever heard.”
NEW
Vadim Neselovskyi, ODESA: A Musical Walk Through a Legendary City (Sunnyside, $16.98) – The Ukrainian jazz pianist’s musical reminiscences of his hometown on the Black Sea, in a solo recital.
The Smile, A LIGHT FOR ATTRACTING ATTENTION (XL, $17.99) – A new trio featuring Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, and Tom Skinner from the jazz group, the Sons of Kemet.
And don’t forget Jonny Greenwood’s splendid score to the 2021 Jane Campion film, POWER OF THE DOG: Soundtrack (Lakeshore, $16.98)
Marta Sanchez, SAAM (SPANISH AMERICAN ART MUSEUM) (Whirlwind, $16.99) – Born in Madrid, and now leading a quintet in New York, pianist Martha Sanchez unveils a new suite of songs. There’s a saxophone front line Roman Filiu (tenor), Alex LoRe (alto), with Rashaan Carter, bass, and Allan Mednard, drums. One song, “Marivi” (a
tribute to her late mother) features vocalist Camilla Meza and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire.
TAKE ME TO THE RIVER: NEW ORLEANS (Petaluma, 2 CDs, $23.98) – A tie-in with a documentary film, Take Me to the River is full of new collaborative recordings by some of the iconic musicians of New Orleans. Featured are Dr. John, the Neville Brothers, Big Freedia, Galactic, Walter “Wolfman” Washington, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Irma Thomas, Donald Harrison, Ani DiFranco, and the Lost Bayou Ramblers.
PHILIP GLASS: AKHNATEN (Orange Mountain Music, DVD, $29.98) – Anthony Roth Costanzo plays the title role in the Metropolitan Opera’s inventive production of Philip Glass’s Akhnaten. Karen Kamensek conducts the Met Opera Orchestra, in a cast with soprano Dísella Lárusdóttir as Queen Tye, mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges as Nefertiti, and bass Zachary James as Amenhotep I. Phelim McDermott’s production fills the Met stage “with breathtaking visuals, including virtuosic pattern-juggling routines. Akhnaten was the 2022 Grammy winner for Best Opera Recording.
FOLKWAYS AT THE SMITHSONIAN FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL
As part of this year’s Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the Mall (June 22-27/June 30-July 4), there will be free evening concerts featuring Folkways artists Leyla McCalla, Alice Gerrard, Los Texmaniacs, Sunny Jain, among others.
On the first night of the festival, Yo-Yo Ma will host “The Gifts We Carry: Sounds of Migration and Memory,” an evening of Afghan music and poetry in exile.