New Music Monday for March 1, 2021
The venerated multi-instrumentalist and composer
Joe Chambers makes a return to Blue Note Records on his new CD, “Samba de Maracatu.” In the mid-to-late 1960s, Chambers played drums for numerous Blue Note luminaries, appearing on some of the decade’s most progressive albums, including works by Wayne Shorter, Bobby Hutcherson, Freddie Hubbard, Andrew Hill, Joe Henderson and Donald Byrd. Turning down a chance to record his own disc for the label at the time, Chambers eventually released his own Blue Note album in 1998. For his new disc, Chambers asserts himself more as a mallet player, particularly on the vibraphone. It’s a nine-song set of original compositions, standards, and pieces by Shorter, Hutcherson and Horace Silver.