New releases last two weeks: Funk Soul & Jazz

Review: Boston-based drummer and producer Terri Lyne Carrington reconvenes Max Roach's 1961 landmark with a sharp eye on both lineage and forward motion. Originally conceived as a civil rights-era protest suite, the project blends jazz, voice, and African-diasporic rhythm to address racial justice with clarity and force. This reinterpretation is not a soft tribute - it's a generational handover. Christie Dashiell takes on Abbey Lincoln's vocal role with arresting precision, while the ensemble (including Morgan Guerin, Matthew Stevens and Milena Casado) brings freshness without losing tension. Julian Priester, the sole surviving member of the original lineup, offers a subtle but weighty cameo. Tracks like 'Driva' Man' and 'Triptych' are stretched into wider shapes, drawing on funk, gospel and Afro-Latin idioms without softening the message. As Carrington puts it, this isn't just homage - it's a new freedom suite for now. The message, more than 60 years later, still burns brightly.