Will Downing’s career spans more than three decades, a journey built on talent, versatility, and a deep connection to love and relationships. From his Brooklyn roots, he first made waves as a background vocalist, lending his smooth baritone to hits by Mariah Carey, Billy Joel, Jennifer Holliday, and others. In 1988, he went solo, finding early success overseas before establishing himself as a fixture on the U.S. R&B charts. Albums like A Dream Fulfilled, After Tonight, and Classique brought critical acclaim and commercial success, while All the Man You Need earned a Grammy nomination, cementing his status as one of R&B’s most enduring voices. Along the way, Downing explored jazz standards, photography, and radio, showcasing his creative range and commitment to nurturing emerging talent. Tracks from his 2025 EP Still in Love continue that tradition, exploring relationships with honesty and elegance. On Valentine’s Day, Downing brings that lifetime of experience to the stage at Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway, New Jersey, offering fans an evening of romance, rich vocals, and timeless storytelling.

Epistrophy and Kenny Clarke (107)

Standards Rating 7, Difficulty 7

“Epistrophy” isn’t just a Monk tune—it’s a historical artifact, a blueprint for modern jazz, and a flex by two geniuses who knew exactly what they were doing. Co-written by Thelonious Monk and Kenny Clarke, the piece feels like organized chaos: jagged melody, looping phrases, and harmonies that never quite settle, which is precisely the point. Monk’s chords grind and shimmer, while the melody keeps circling back on itself like a nervous thought you can’t shake. Clarke’s role is just as crucial. As the architect of bebop drumming, he doesn’t simply keep time—he provokes, comments, and destabilizes. On his 1946 recording, his ride cymbal floats while bombs drop unpredictably, pushing the band forward. “Epistrophy” became Monk’s go-to closer for a reason: it sounds like a mic drop. Rating it a 7 for difficulty feels fair—deceptively simple on paper, brutally unforgiving in execution.

Kenny Clarke

Thelonious Monk

Jazz Real Book Playlist -Vol. 2

Jordan Williams is a rising American jazz pianist whose playing balances deep tradition with a clear, contemporary voice. Raised in Philadelphia, he began playing piano by ear at a young age, developing strong melodic instincts before entering formal classical and jazz training. By his early teens he was already performing publicly, showing a natural command of swing, harmony, and groove.

Williams later studied jazz while remaining active as a performer, earning a reputation for lyrical phrasing, rhythmic clarity, and an intuitive sense of interaction. His style draws from the lineage of pianists such as Herbie Hancock and Mulgrew Miller, combining soulful touch with modern harmonic language.

His debut album Playing by Ear, released on Red Records, marks his emergence as a bandleader. The recording features Jeff “Tain” Watts on drums, Nat Reeves on bass, and Wallace Roney Jr. on trumpet, highlighting Williams’ compositional voice and collaborative approach.

“El Gaucho” and Joe Chambers (106)

Standards Rating: 5: Difficulty Rating: 6

“El Gaucho” exemplifies Wayne Shorter’s distinctive compositional voice through its unconventional 18-bar form, Latin-inflected groove, and harmonically ambiguous structure. Rather than relying on standard ii–V progressions, the tune drifts through whole- and half-step root movement, creating a floating tonal center. Shorter heightens expression by sustaining upper extensions—9ths, ♭9ths, and 11ths—over shifting harmonies, producing controlled melodic tension. Joe Chambers plays a crucial role in shaping the piece’s character. His drumming establishes a supple Latin pulse that feels grounded yet elastic, allowing the soloists rhythmic freedom. Chambers’ touch is subtle and conversational, emphasizing color over volume. A master accompanist and composer, he blends rhythmic sophistication with deep musical sensitivity, reinforcing his status as one of modern jazz’s most influential drummers.

Wayne Shorter

Joe Chambers

Jazz Real Book Playlist Vol. 2

“Eighty-One” and Ron Carter (105) Standards Rating 5: Difficulty Rating : 6

“Eighty-One” is a 24-bar tune with a 12-bar A section and a 12-bar bridge, written in F and first recorded on E.S.P. (1965). Though credited in The Real Book to Miles Davis/Ron Carter, the piece is widely regarded as Carter’s, and it reflects his expanding role in the Second Great Quintet. Carter’s concept—shaped by intervallic thinking, pedal points, and harmonic ambiguity—defines the tune’s character. The chart’s instruction to play even eighth notes places it firmly in a post-bop context, prioritizing articulation and interaction over swing’s triplet lilt.The melody is spare and rhythmically precise, using quarter-note triplets, unexpected pickups, and extended rests to make space a compositional element. Harmonically, the near-constant use of 9sus4 voicings—avoiding the third—creates an open, floating soundscape.. “Eighty-One” stands as a concise statement of Carter’s modern jazz language: economical, flexible, and deeply interactive.

Ron Carter

Bill Frisell

Jazz Real Book Playlist Vol. 2

Sullivan Fortner’s 2025 stands as a defining chapter in an already remarkable career. The year brought a Grammy nomination for Southern Nights, a live-in-the-moment trio recording born from a spontaneous Village Vanguard engagement, captured in a single four-hour studio session. Alongside it came high-profile collaborations with Theo Croker, Kurt Elling, and Lauren Henderson, each revealing different facets of Fortner’s musical identity—from free-form duo exploration to intimate vocal-piano dialogue. The year’s biggest surprise was his selection as the first-ever jazz recipient of the Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Award, a historic honor accompanied by a $300,000 prize. Grounded in gospel roots, shaped at NOCA and Oberlin, and refined through formative years with Roy Hargrove, Fortner embodies a lineage-driven approach that values listening, intuition, and trust. Despite the accolades, his perspective remains modest and forward-looking, focused on the music itself—and on what comes next.

“Ecclusiastics” and Charles Mingus (104)

Standards Rating 2, Difficulty Rating 7

“Ecclusiastics” offers a concentrated portrait of Charles Mingus’s artistic personality: volatile, spiritual, blues-soaked, and uncompromising. Drawing its title from the Jewish wisdom text attributed to Ben Sira, the piece reflects Mingus’s lifelong engagement with moral struggle, Black church traditions, and personal prophecy. Marked at an extremely slow ♩ = 52, the tune demands patience and emotional control, qualities Mingus valued deeply in his musicians. Its unusual ABC form, shifting meters, and harmonically restless language mirror his resistance to standardized jazz structures. On Oh Yeah (1962), Mingus performs on piano and vocalizes freely, calling out and humming like a preacher mid-sermon. This blurring of composition, improvisation, and embodied expression exemplifies his belief that jazz should confront, instruct, and testify. “Ecclusiastics” ultimately functions as both composition and sermon—an extension of Mingus’s artistic will.

Charles Mingus

Mingus Big Band

Spotify Playlist #2

“Easy To Love and Gene Ammons” (103)

Standards Rating 7, Difficulty Rating 5

“Easy to Love” is a model of Cole Porter’s understated brilliance: a 32-bar form with a spacious, lyrical melody and harmonies that move fluidly through ii–V progressions and subtle chromatic color. Its clarity and emotional openness have made it a durable jazz standard, adaptable to ballad, swing, or groove-based treatments without losing its essential elegance.

On Jug (1961), Gene Ammons reshapes the tune through a relaxed boogaloo feel, grounding Porter’s refinement in blues and rhythm. Ammons’ massive tenor sound, shaped by his Chicago roots and early work with Billy Eckstine’s band, favors melody, warmth, and direct communication. Despite career interruptions caused by incarceration, he remained one of Prestige Records’ most influential voices, bridging bebop sophistication and soul-jazz accessibility. His “Easy to Love” reflects that legacy perfectly—honoring the song’s structure while infusing it with groove, humanity, and unmistakable personal voice.

Gene Ammons

Ella Fitzgerald

Spotify Playlist #2