Sean Patrick Murtagh: The Mario 101 is an homage to the great Hollywood tenor Mario Lanza. The album features a dozen songs from the
Lanza songbook, which represent several musical genres, from show tunes such as “On the Street Where You Live,” to standards such as “Night and Day,” and opera standards such as “E Lucevan Le Stelle” from Puccini’s Tosca. Each of the songs represented was recorded by Lanza, who had a brief career, succumbing to illness at age 38 in 1959. Equaling the singger’s powerful tenor, Murtagh pays tribute to the icon he refers to as “a marvelous tenor” and “a once in a lifetime talent.”
Eric Hoffman and Ken Hatfield: Stirrings Still, (Arthur Circle Music) is an intimate set of duets for voice and guitar, due in January 2023, with fresh takes on standards, both familiar and unexpected. 
After a decade of performing together in a variety of settings, and with performance venues shut down in the pandemic, the pair embarked on this recording as a creative outlet, conceiving it as a reflective yet hopeful exploration of universal themes such as love, loss, hope and possibility. Hoffman is a distinctive song stylist with an impressive vocal range and ability to master many styles and genres from jazz to Broadway and everything in between. Hatfield, a guitarist, composer and arranger, playsthe classical guitar. His melodic playing draws on influences as diverse as jazz, blues, classical, Brazilian and Appalachian music.
Eliane Elias: Quietude (Candid Records) was recorded in Brazil and captures the music of her home country. The singer-pianist-com
poser enlisted for the sessions guitarist Marcus Teixeira who has been recording with her since her GRAMMY® winning 2015 album Made in Brazil and Lula Galvão, considered the current master of Brazilian acoustic guitar. The album is cross section of some of the most beautiful Brazilian compositions, including a gently swinging take on the Carlos Lyra-Moraes song “Você e Eu” (“You and I”), the melody-rich “Marina,” by Dorival Caymmi, and Só Tinha Que Ser Com Você” (“This Love That I’ve Found”) by the great Antonio Carlos Jobim. Closing the album is a duet with 79-year-old Brazilian luminary Dori Caymmi (the son of Dorival Caymmi) on his song “Saveiros.”
The Royal Bopsters: Tenth Anniversary Edition (Motéma) is a reissue titled will featuring revised cover art, 11 of the original tracks, a remix of track 12 
(Amy London’s “Let’s Fly”), a bonus track of the Bopsters swinging version of the Lester Young/King Pleasure song “Jazz Jump” and the world premiere of their new acapella arrangement of “Auld Lang Syne,” dedicated to the group’s five fallen compatriots and jazz heroes, Mark MArk Murphy, Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross, Bob Dorough and Bobster co-founder Holli Ross. The Royal Bopsters was formed in 2012 in New York, specializing in vocalese and bringing a new approach to the art of vocal jazz. Vocalists Amy London, Jeanne O’Connor, Pete McGuinness and Dylan Pramuk pay tribute to their jazz heroes through intricate harmonies and energetic delivery, bringing jazz classics and bebop style to the next generation and beyond.
Christmas with Chris Ruggiero, w
ho’s a vintage rock and roll specialist and PBS.TV star, features favorite songs, such as “Sleigh Ride.” “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” as well as songs from his four previous albums—all delivered in his own classic style. Ruggiero has been touring the country singing vintage rock, working with the same arranger who created all the hits for Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons. His most recent tour hit 37 cities, but this CD represents his first-ever Christmas tour, which is ongoing through 2022.
Loren Daniels: Ticket to Ride (LDJazz) Keyboardist-singer Loren Daniels creates innovative jazz interpretations to ten Beatles songs—some rarely perfored—
utilizing his vocals, piano, organ and keyboards in a setting with bass, drums and overdubbed background vocals. While originally conceived as an acoustic trio set with vocals, the project grew over time. The supportive team is bassist Belden Bullock and drummer Jonathon Peretz. The opener, “Drive My Car,” sounds like a soul jazz song with Daniels’ piano recalling Les McCann. On a modal version of “Ticket To Ride,” he brings back the spirit of McCoy Tyner; Daniels also excels on electric piano during the fairly obscure “I’m Only Sleeping.” His version of “With A Little Help From My Friends” sounds unlike any other while “For No One” is turned into a sophisticated ballad featuring the melodica.
Lakecia Benjamin: Phoenix (Whirlwind Recordings) by the saxophonist and composer was produced by the multi-Grammy-award winning Terri Lyne Carrington and features a star-studded line up of specially 
curated guests such as Dianne Reeves, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Patrice Rushen, Sonia Sanchez, Angela Davis and Wayne Shorter. The band is composed of trumpeter Josh Evans, Victor Gould on keys, Orange Rodriguez on synths, drummer Enoch (EJ) Strickland, percussionist Nêgah Santos and bassist Ivan Taylor. Trumpeter Wallace Roney Jr, Rhodes organist Anastassiya Petrova and bassist Jahmal Nichols all join for one track each. The CD’s compositions were influenced by Benjamin’s pandemic experience and her “now” thoughts on the direction of her life. Sirens herald the start of the record on “Amerikkan Skin,” featuring political activist Angela Davis as a guest. ”Trane,” an ode to Alice and John Coltrane, also nods to a previous project. “Basquiat,” inspired by the neo-expressionist artist and is preceded by a message from jazz giant Shorter.
Akiko Aoki: Pure Imagination finds the singer returning to recording after raising a family and running her late husband’s business. Aoki perf
orms 13 classic standards (including some R&B), recontextualizing some widely known songs while alternating her own brand of swing with versions of ballads. She is joined by pianist Tim Ray’s trio (with bassist Marshall Wood and drummer Tommy Campbell) plus notable guest appearances by the tenor-saxophonist Ken Peplowski, trumpeter Greg Hopkins and guitarist John Baboian. Two songs apiece include tenor-saxophonist Mike Monaghan and drummer-percussionist Mark Walker; one track has flutist Hiro Honshuku. There are also three special appearances by her daughter Mari Aoki. The set begins with a heated “Almost Like Being In Love,” which features Peplowski, and moves on to numbers such as a rare vocal version of Stanley Turrentine’s “Sugar,” a jazzy version of “Moondance” and “I Love Being Here With You,” which gives Aoki an opportunity to scat in unison with guitarist Baboian—among others
Victoria Clark: December Songs for Voice and Orchestra (PS Classics) is the second solo album by Victoria Clark, the Tony Award-winning actress and a sumptuous reinvention of Maury Yeston’s beloved song cycle. The 
album is reimagined by Clark and a 37-piece orchestra conducted by Ted Sperling and scored by Larry Hochman. Yeston’s December Songs represents a detailed journey patterned after Schubert’s Winterreise, originally commissioned in 1991 by Carnegie Hall in honor of its centennial celebration. Yeston responded with a work for voice and piano that reflected and honored the variety of musical worlds that had long graced the Carnegie Hall stage: from classical to cabaret, from folk to pop. Since then, December Songs has received numerous performances and been translated into a dozen languages, but until now hadn’t fulfilled Yeston’s dream for these songs to gain the dimensions and power that only a full orchestra can provide.
