Label: ESP-Disk, 2024 Personnel - Frank London: trumpet; Marilyn Lerner: piano; Hilliard Greene: bass; Newman Taylor Baker: drums + Greg Wall: tenor saxophone (#1,2,3,4). In addition to being the co-founder of The Klezmatics and the leader of Glass House Orchestra and Klezmer Brass Allstars, trumpeter and composer Frank London has worked with a wide range of artists in different musical contexts such as John Zorn, Lester Bowie, Pink Floyd, Iggy Pop, LL Cool J, and David Byrne. Recently diagnosed with myelofibrosis, an extremely rare blood cancer, London decided to release Spirit Stronger Than ..read more

Label: Giant Steps Records, 2024 Personnel - Orrin Evans: piano; Eric Revis: bass; Nasheet Waits: drums. Tarbaby is the cooperative trio of pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Eric Revis, and drummer Nasheet Waits, all well-established musicians in the jazz scene. Formed in the late 1990s, the trio reached a peak in its career in 2022 with the release of Dance of the Infidels (Clean Feed, 2022), featuring alto saxophonist Oliver Lake. Their fifth album, You Think This America comprises two originals - one each by Evans and Waits - along with covers from several genres. The album opens with Ornette C ..read more

Label: You & Me Music, 2024 Personnel - Hyeonseon Baek: vocals; Lucas Pino: tenor saxophone (#1,4,6,10); Kevin Hays: piano; Linda May Han Oh: bass; Jochen Rueckert: drums. The up-and-coming Korean-born, New York-based jazz singer Hyenseon Baek makes his debut alongside high-caliber accompanists and improvisers, including pianist Kevin Hays, bassist Linda May Han Oh, and drummer Jochen Rueckert. The energetic tenorist Lucas Pino enriches four tracks of the program, which encompasses originals and covers. Baek, who puts his heart on each of the songs, starts off with “Caravan”, tackling it ..read more

Label: Sunnyside Records, 2024 Personnel - Ben Monder: electric guitar; Santiago Leibson: keyboards; Matt Pavolka: upright bass; Allan Mednard: drums. Sturdy bassist Matt Pavolka plays in different settings with the same focus and reliability. At the helm of his flagship band, he explores adventurous sonic terrain with the help of guitarist Ben Monder, Argentinian keyboardist Santiago Leibson, and drummer Allan Mednard. The latter two, replacing former members Pete Rende and Ted Poor respectively, infuse new energy across nine originals that showcase Pavolka’s compositional prowess and appeti ..read more

Label: Cygnus Recordings, 2024 Personnel - Miles Okazaki: guitars, composition; Matt Mitchell: piano; Anna Webber: tenor saxophone, flute; Jon Irabagon: mezzo soprano, sopranino, slide sax; Caroline Davis: alto saxophone; Jacob Garchik: trombone; Patricia Brennan: vibraphone; Fay Victor: vocals; Ganavya: vocals; Jen Shyu: vocals. First-rate NYC-based guitarist and composer Miles Okazaki is known for his fearless attitude and daring approach, usually blurring the line between notated music and improvisation with puzzling cells and powerful sequences within a proper and fluid structure. Escapin ..read more

Label: Playscape Recordings, 2024 Personnel - Jason Robinson: tenor and soprano saxophone, alto flute; Michael Dessen: trombone; Joshua White: piano; Drew Gress: bass; Ches Smith: drums, glockenspiel. Saxophonist, flutist, composer, and scholar Jason Robinson consistently infuses energy and emotion into the groups he leads. In his latest outing, Ancestral Numbers I, he spearheads a robust quintet featuring the same rhythmic builders from his previous album, Harmonic Constituent (Playscape, 2020): pianist Joshua White, bassist Drew Gress, and drummer/vibist Ches Smith. Longtime collaborator an ..read more

Label: ECM Records, 2024 Personnel - Giovanni Guidi: piano; Thomas Morgan: bass; João Lobo: drums; James Brandon Lewis: tenor saxophone (#1,4,5, ). Italian jazz pianist and composer Giovanni Guidi, who gained international prominence playing with legendary trumpeter Enrico Rava, has released his latest album, A New Day, the fifth on the ECM label. This album features him in trio and quartet settings with regular collaborators, American bassist Thomas Morgan and Portuguese drummer João Lobo, as well as a new musical partner, saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, who blends his melodies terrifically ..read more

Label: Sunnyside Records, 2024 Personnel - Harry Skoler: clarinet; Joel Ross: vibraphone; Dezron Douglas: bass; Johnathan Blake: drums // Guests - Christian Sands: piano (#6); Marquis Hill: trumpet (#4); Grégoire Maret: harmonica (#13). Clarinetist and composer Harry Skoler enlists the help of stellar musicians to enrich a set of 14 compositions that tells the sad, traumatic story of the loss of a friend in his teenage years. The core quartet comprises Skoler, vibraphonist Joel Ross, bassist Dezron Douglas, and drummer Johnathan Blake. The album, Red Brick Hill, is infused with curiosity and ..read more

Label: Origin Records, 2024 Personnel - Anthony Branker: composer, musical direction; Donny McCaslin: tenor and soprano saxophone; Philip Dizack: trumpet; Fabian Almazan: piano; Linda May Han Oh: bass; Rudy Royston: drums; Pete McCann: guitar; Aubrey Johnson: vocals. With Songs My Mother Liked, his second outing with his group Imagine, American composer and arranger Anthony Branker pays homage to his 88-year-old mother, whose health has been declining with dementia. To do this, he selected a few vibrant compositions from his repertoire, previously recorded with his projects Ascent and Word Pl ..read more

Label: Tidebloom Records, 2024 Personnel - Cooper Malanowski: trombone; Kai Burns: guitar; David Macchione: bass; Alex Yoo: drums // guest: Ariel Vera: vocals (#7). Summit is the likable, occasionally surprising debut album from trombonist Cooper Malanowski, who was born in New York and is currently based in Boston. Competently handling eight compositions crafted over the three-year period he has been studying at the New England Conservatory, Malinowski’s inBetween Quartet shows potential and taste in the way they shape these pieces. “Your Name”, with its reflective rubato intro, leads into ..read more