I didn’t know who Jeremy Pelt was, but the lead-off track, “Prologue: Invention #1,” from his new album, Woven, pulled me right in. Pelt played an astonishing vibrato on him trumpet. With “Rhapsody,” Pelt had woven vocals, electric guitar, and synthesization into a mesmerizing fusion. His trumpet was clear and swift. It’s a great album and I will be looking for more of his work.

To distract my ears from political podcasts, I tuned into jazz. The Bad Plus’ Complex Emotions is a fantastic distraction. With “French Horns,” the group returns to its funk-jazz vibe, but also expands with rock guitar and fast saxophone. True to his name, Chris Speed blazes his sax solo with such furious speed. Ben Monder sets quiet fire on his guitar. “Casa Ben” kicks off with Reid Anderson’s hypnotic bass and Dave King’s crips drums. Speed joins in with sweet melodic intro. The star is Monder who plays some organic, futurist vibes with such an incredible feedbacks. The whole album is a wonderful treat.

I am an old head who knows nothing about Tate McRae. I came across her new release So Close to What. Although her pronunciation is hard to follow, she has a decent voice and he productions are banging. On the first track, “Miss Possessive,” she drops the first f-bomb, “I know what you are, tryin’ so hard / Runnin’ ’round tryna fuck a star, go.” On the first track, she drops another f-bomb, “You ain’t gonna win with the jewelry / Don’t need the cute fuckin’ names (No).” On the third track, she drops more f-bombs, “Fuck me good, fuck me up, thеn I gotta move towns / How’d I get from your gym to your couch? Oh, how?” Of course, the forth track, “bloodonmmyhands,” featuring Flo Milli, she drops more f-bombs, “Oh baby boy, you’re seein’ stars / And it fucks you up so hard.” I sweared I heard her singing “pussy star” instead of “you’re seein’ stars.” Thank goodness that she didn’t drop any f-bomb on “Dear God.” That would have been pretty controversial.

I have been enjoying another wonderful jazz standard album from the Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio. A Shade of Blue kicks off with a swinging tempo “Speed Ball of Blues.” My personal favorite is the down-low blues in “Midnight Sugar.” Yamamoto’s arpeggios are just so damn intoxicating. I also dig the bossa-nova flavor in “Last Tango in Paris.” Albums like these made my commute pleasurable, especially at 5 am on Sundays.

Just happened to stumble upon the Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio. I loved the duo rendition of “Jealous Guy,” in which Mr. Yamamoto played the pop melody then he added some syncopations in the left hand. Isao Fukui joined in with his hypnotic double-bass. With “Girl Blues,” drummer Tetsujiro Obara and Mr. Fukui held down the rhythm section while Mr. Yamamoto played the blues and some classic poundings, which reminded me of Cecil Taylor’s style. I enjoyed their take on jazz standards on Speak Low.

Dave Brubeck’s Jazz Impressions of Japan is succinct yet impressive. With Eugene Wright on bass, Joe Morello on drum, Paul Desmond on saxophone, and Brubeck on piano, the quartet captures the vibe of Japan. In the opener “Tokyo Traffic,” the band swings vibrantly with a sweet Japanese melody. “Toki’s Theme” brings out the twist. Brubeck must had noticed that Asian people liked to do the twist. The rest of the album is enjoyable.

I had been listening to Dave Brubeck’s classic Time Out for years. And yet, I only came across his follow-up Time Further Out last week. “Far More Blues” expanded his time signatures from “Take Five” and Paul Desmond was killing it on his alto saxophone. I always have a soft spot for Desmond’s sensual sax sound. “Far More Drum” gave Joe Morello the space to solo. I always enjoyed an energetic drum improvisation and Morello delivered. The rhythm in “Unsquare Dance” is exhilarating. Loved this album.

The encounter of two saxophone legends (Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster) alone was already something special. With the Oscar Peterson rhythm section, they made history. The album kicked off with the intoxicating “Blues for Yolenda.” These guys were the masters of the blues. From the intro, Peterson (piano), Alvin Stoller (drums), and Ray Brown (double bass) laid down the blues mood. Hawkins and Webster joined in unison. Whereas Webster made his sax cried, Hawkins played a charming solo. What a magical moment. On “Tangerine,” Coleman began with such a beautiful solo and Webster took it up a notch. Absolutely astonishing.

I always love the sound of the trumpet. In the right hands, a trumpet can sound like a human voice. Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and Clifford Brown are some of my favorite trumpet players, and now I am adding Freddie Hubbard to this list. I listened to Hubbard before, but I didn’t know much about him. In recent days, I immersed into Hubbard’s The Body & The Soul.

The album kicks off his Hubbard’s emotional rendition of “Body and Soul.” His trumpet is clear and can put you to tear. The orchestrated reinterpretation of “Carnival (Manhã de Carnaval)” is just astounding. The tune begins with the horn section playing the sweet melody to get you into the mood. Hubbard blazes his trumpet with a magnetizing solo, especially in the high register.

In “Aries,” Hubbard showcases his post-bop chops with his all-star players: Eric Dolphy, Wayne Shorter, Cedar Walton, Curtis Fuller, Reggie Workman, and Louis Hayes. Recorded in 1963, the album still sounds fresh today.

Để kỷ niệm 20 năm album đầu tay của cô ra đời, Ngọc Khuê trở lại với cuộc “Dạo chơi” dân gian hiện đại. Những ca khúc đã đưa tên tuổi cô đến khán giả như “Bên bờ ao nhà mình”, “Chuồn chuồn ớt”, “Giọt sương bay lên”, “Gió mùa về”, và “Bà tôi” được mix lại với những âm hưởng điện tử.

Nghe thì cũng là lạ nhưng nặng về phần điện tử hơn là phần dân gian. Chẳng hạn như “Bên bờ ao nhà mình” trở thành một club hit nhiều hơn là một contemporary mix. Tuy đã 20 năm nhưng tôi vẫn ấn tượng với bài phối dân gian jazz hơn là bài mix mới với phần rap không cần thiết.

Đáng tiếc là cả album đều như thế ngoại trừ “Bà tôi” với bài phối jazz đường phố đầy sáng tạo. Tiếng bass, tiếng percussion, tiếng dương cầm, tiếng sáo hòa quyện vào nhau rất thú vị. Phải chi Ngọc Khuê vẫn theo đường lối jazz nhưng khai thác những âm hưởng mới lạ thì hay biết mấy.