jazz2love

  Album:  On The First Noel: Jazz Hymns for Christmas Artist:  Gwen Hughes Label:  Fairfield Records Release Date:  October 15, 2026 Website:  www.gwenhughes.com Singer, songwriter and interpreter Gwen Hughes tailors holiday standards to her distinctive vocal nuances on On The First Noel: Jazz Hymns for Christmas .  She approaches each track with the sensitivity of a narrator, reaching out to listeners and swathing them in the warm timbres of her register.  Ascending and descending her vocals with an emotive penmanship, Hughes holds her audience's attention with a spellbinding grip and enduring embrace. The whispery breathe of her vocals caress the listener soothingly across "Angels We Have Heard  on High," accompanied by the gentle guitar strokes of Micah Cadwell.   The trio of pianist Tyrone Jackson, bassist Jason DeBlanc, and Hughes's vocals on "All Through the Night" resonates the quietude of a blissful lullaby, kicking up the t...

  Album:  I'll Be Around Artists:  Jennifer Roberts and Tedd Firth Label:  One Man Band Music Release Date:  October 16, 2026 Website:  www.jennifergroberts.com Acclaimed vocalist Jennifer Roberts gives old fashioned, cabaret jazz a modern glint on her recording I'll Be Around .  Collaborating with Tedd Firth in the role as her pianist, arranger and Musical Director, the pair lull the listener into a blissful state of mind with their iteration of jazz standards like Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "Alfie" and Fred Ahlert, Roy Turk and Irving Berlin's "I'll Get By, Count Your Blessings," switching to inspiring an uplifting vibe in their rendition of classic pop tunes like Carole King's "You've Got A Friend" and Blossom Dearie and Mahriah Blackwolf's "I Like You, You're Nice."  Their sense of synchronicity is impeccable, keeping the melodies flowing with refinement and aplomb. The duo demonstrate a visceral sensit...

Imagine one hundred years ago in America when tunes performed by Rudy Vallee, the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, Gene Krupa, and Bix Biederbecke, to name a few, could be heard on mainstream free radio stations, in vaudeville shows and during silent pictures in theaters.  Serendipitously, saxophonist, composer and bandleader Chad Smith became enamored of the jazz music of the 1920's, and one hundred years later, he shows that the music of the Golden Age of Jazz remains relevant to modern audiences. Smith's 2026 recording Saxophobia presents a new spin on the compositions of saxophonist Rudy Wiedoeft,, S whose recordings through the Roaring '20s are noted for popularizing the saxophone.  The inspiration for the album's title is Wiedoeft's track "Saxophobia." Smith admits, "The title of the album was difficult to choose.  I didn’t want it to be historical or boring in any way.  'Saxophobia' is one of the trademark pieces that Wiedoeft wrote and perfo...

  Album:  Quartet Vol. II Artist:   Takeshi Asai Label:   Fono Bono Records Release Date:   November 20, 2026 Website:   https://www.takeshiasai.com/index.html https://takeshiasai.com/QuartetVol2_Album.html   The esteemed Takeshi Asai, a New York City-based jazz pianist, composer and bandleader releases his 24th album Quartet Vol. II, featuring Hashem Assadullahi on alto saxophone, Mark Wade on bass, and John Clay on drums.   The quartet fuses bop, swing, blues, and straight-ahead jazz into a sonic consortium that balances melodic motifs with improvised musings.   At times, the quartet ventures into organic conversations among themselves, but now and then, they immerse their audience in spellbinding storylines that speak to the listener.   "Fillet Mignon" is one such track that speaks to the audience.   The whispery swells of Asai's keys scroll intense musings that cause the listener to pause and take a moment to reflect.   The...

  Album:  Break Allegra Artist:   Jerry Z Label:   Drawbar Records Release Date:   October 9, 2026 Website:   www.jerry-z.com   Hammond B3 organist and composer Jerry Z puts a modern twist on the thick, bluesy-funk grooves of the organ-jazz tradition, presented in his new release Break Allegra .   Produced by Jerry Z and his guitarist Oz Noy, the 8-track recording revamps a vintage palette with the aid of tenor saxophonist Chad LB, percussionist Daniel Sadownick, and drummers Mike Clark, Lenny White, and Joe Dyson alternating their parts on the tracks.   Opening the program with the uptempo of the title track, Jerry Z's organ incites a bustling dialogue among his band mates, jumping into the conversation with a train of improvised voices, threading lively arcs and twirling patterns along the melodic progression.   The recording dives into the swinging motion of "Rego Park," a pulsating track that features adventurous interplay between J...

  Album:  To My Loved Ones Artist:  Alain Bradette Label:  Quantum Gravity Records Release Date:  June 16, 2026 Website: www.alainbradettemusic.com Alain Bradette is a Montreal-born saxophonist, composer, and Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI) performer whose work gravitates towards improvisation, harmonizing bold voices and wielding contemporary jazz language.  His latest recording To My Loved Ones presents eight compositions with distinct characteristics, exercising his penchant for improvised conversations among his band.   Seven of the tracks are composed by Bradette, while his longtime friend Fady Karam contributes “Lunatic" to the program, pervading an exotic lilt in Bradette's arching notes. Sometimes turning reflective like in the blissful musings of "Butterfly Angel" and other times the music is bustling with intense activity like in "Pandemic."  Supporting Bradette on saxophone is Zach Muth on guitar, Tal Cohen on acoustic and electri...