jazz2love

    New Release:  Stomp Your Stuff from Oliver-Smith Incomparables Release Date:  August 28, 2026 Label:  Turtle Bay Records Website:  https://www.halsmithjazz.com/ Roaring '20s ragtime, Tinpan Alley romps, Vaudeville hootenannies, and Prohibition Era hot jazzz merge together on Stomp Your Stuff , the 2026 recording from the Oliver-Smith Incomparables.  Reimagining nostalgic material from the Chicago-based Melrose Brothers publishing catalog, and channeling the chutzpah of vintage Jelly Roll Morton, pianist Andrew Oliver and drummer Hal Smith are joined by Colin Hancock on coronet and alto sax, Andy Schumm on clarinet and cornet, T.J.  Müller on trombone, cornet and vocals, Jacob Alspach on guitar and banjo, and Dan Anderson on string bass and tuba, forming the 7-piece ensemble the Incomparables. Together, they induce a party atmosphere, curating some of the best traits of Americana-inspired, speakeasy jazz.  From its cheerful syncopated groo...

    New Release:  What Next? from Russ Anixter and The Hippie Big Band   Label: RussAnixter.com Release Date: August 7, 2026 Artist Website: https://russanixter.com Orchestrator, arranger and bandleader Russ Anixter presents his second endeavor with the Hippie Big band, entitled What Next?   The 11 piece ensemble of brass, woodwinds, percussion, drums, guitar, bass, along with Danny Louis on organ, and Bill Hayes on vibes, xylo and toys, creates an energetic collection.  Retooling and improvising through such jazz and pop classics as Paul McCartney and John Lennon's "I Saw Her Standing There," Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia's "Shakedown Street," and a mashup of Led Zepplin's "No Quarter" with Miles Davis's "Bitches Brew," Anixter demonstrates a modern ingenuity that breathes new life into vintage material.  The marching band cadence of Dr. John Creaux and Mac Rebennack's "I Walk on Guilded Splinters" is tweaked with ...

  New Release:  Songs From Thin Air from Scott Sadlon Release Date: January 28, 2026 Label: Buddha Boy Records Website:  https://scottsadlon1.bandcamp.com/album/songs-from-thin-air https://www.timlefebvremusic.com/ https://www.racheleckroth.com/ Eclectic, abstract, and cinematic, drummer Scott Sadlon collaborates with keyboardist Rachel Eckroth and bassist Tim Lefebvre on his 2026 effort Songs From Thin Air .  Harmonic forms are discovered during the process of performing rather than being formally structured, opening the creators to formulating avenues and fluidity on the spur of the moment as each artist responds to the others movements and interjections.  The outcome is music built from the creators listening to one another as much as performing collectively.  The press release states, "Songs From Thin Air was recorded in June 2022 at Saltmine Studios in Mesa, Arizona, capturing a single-session meeting of three musicians drawing on decades of musical an...

  New Release:  Hard Bop: For The Record from Greg Chako Label: Mint400 Records Release Date: September 4, 2026 Website:  https://gregchako.com Hard Bop: For The Record is the 25th offering from composer-leader-guitarist Greg Chako, a piano-less two-horn quintet recording that places Chako's guitar at the center of the ensemble while demonstrating his commitment to the hard bop language and traditional jazz idioms.  Inspired by the classic quintets of Horace Silver and Art Blakey, the album features shards of swing alongside hard bop, blues, and chillout jazz, most notable in the tribute tune "Bop for Bud," paying homage to pianist-composer Bud Powell.  Chako's improvised thrumming on the guitar is embellished by the frilly tooling of Brooks Giles's saxophone on "Mr. Higgins," a nod to drummer Billy Higgins that is keeled by the steady pulse of David Lloyd's bass and Alex Merk's drumming, while Spencer Mark's lyrical phrasing on the trombone...

  New Release:  Sea Spell from Jeff Rupert Quartet Release Date:  June 26, 2026 Label:  Rupe Media Website:    https://www.facebook.com/JeffRupertSax/ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxg1Yv6cuyD5f8AaZdfvSlALbKqXInpKm Smooth jazz tenor saxophonist Jeff Rupert leads his quartet on a blissful voyage along his 2026 installment Sea Spell from Rupe Media.  Joining him are Richard Drexler on piano, Ben Kramer on bass, and Marty Morell on drums.  The sumptuous raptures of his sax elevate the senses in tracks like "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most" and "A Breeze Through the Keys," inducing waves of calm in numbers like "Blue Steel" and the title track.  The quartet shines on the Latin swing shimmies of "Mambo Inn," and shifts to a ballroom waltz through "Polka Dots and Moonbeams," illuminating a romantic mood. The swinging pulse of "Orca-Stration" has an undercurrent of jumping blues beats, and softens to a caressing bree...

  New Release:  In Motion from Jeremy Green  Release Date:  July 17, 2026 Label:  Independent Website:  https://jeremygreenguitar.com/ Canadian songwriter-leader-guitarist Jeremy Green bridges improvised jazz surges with power rock riffs and soul-funk grooves on his 2026 project In Motion , loaded with all original material written by Green.  His chords soar while intermittently amplified by additional guitarists: Mark Lettieri, Mike Stern, Tim Lefebvre, Rich Brown, Oz Noy, Jared James Nichols, and Allen Hinds.  The arrangements are securely moored by Keith Carlock's pulsating drumbeats, sporadically infused with Chase Baird's billowing saxophone curls, Jimmy Haslip's jaunty bass pumps, Moto Fukushima's animated bass romps on the track "Queen West," and Will Lee's vibrating bass tremors on the title track.  Green's tune "The 55" is a tribute to the now closed Manhattan club 55 Bar, filled with personalized musings by Green, Mike Stern, and Ti...

    New Release:  Let's Take A Trip from Anthony Caceres Release Date:  February 27, 2026 Label:  Jig In G Website:  www.anthonycaceres.com Jazz crooner, bass player and leader Anthony Caceres serenades audiences with a vocal prowess reminiscent of Wayne Newton and a swinging strut reflective of Michael Feinstein.  His 2026 release Let's Take A Trip shows his affinity for swing.  Accompanied by Tamir Hendelman on piano, Jostein Gulbrandsen on guitar and Joe Farnsworth on drums, Caceres's vocals drive the melodies while his performance on the upright bass subtly brushes across the tracks.  "A Slow Hot Wind," written by Henry Mancini and Norman Gimbel, displays Caceres's sensitive vocalese as a penetrative narrator.  His poignant vocal inflections along "I Just Dropped By To Say Hello," a Johnny Hartman gem, is laden with emotional depth.  Caceres's retooling of Depeche Mode's hit song "Strange Love" is refashioned with swing jazz tr...

  Bulgarian-born and naturalized Canadian, Gergana Velinova has a vocal resonance that invites listeners to come towards her.  Her talent for shining a light on introspective thoughts intimate experiences that audiences can relate to on a human level.  Her 2026 release Free: A Soulful Journey from Cellar Music Group integrates Bulgarian folk, bossa nova, blues, soul, and smooth jazz with all original material written by Velinova.  The recording is produced by Kristian Alexandrov, co-produced by Gergana Velinova and Shannon Gaye, and features an orchestra that molds around Velinova's vocals.   She punctuates, "Freedom is a very powerful word, and for many people around the world right now.  It carries deep meaning."   "The composition 'Free' itself was intentionally written as a soaring vocal piece," she explains, "with my voice rising above the band as a literal cry for freedom. When we long for freedom, we don't whisper it—we shout it. In thi...

    Album:  Children of Sound Artist:  Xander Naylor Release Date:  April 21, 2026 Website:  https://www.xandernaylor.com Jazz fusion guitarist Xander Naylor presents his 2026 release Children of Sound, once again exploring the symbiotic bond of jazz, improvisation, and North Indian Hindustani classical music.  Making music that is both fluid and complex, spontaneous and lyrical, upbeat and meditative, capricious and calming, sparse and layered, Naylor's compositions capture a melodicism found in polarizing facets through in-depth exploration and concerted exchanges. Joining Naylor on the recording is his long-time mentor Samir Chatterjee on tabla, Utsav Lal on piano, Raphaël Pannier on drums, and Birsa Chatterjee on tenor saxophone.  Together, the quintet produces a lyricism laden with intriguing mysticism and cerebral magnetism.  The catchy motifs of "Future Curious" interpolate Indian accents into jazz-inspired expressions, as Lal's trickl...

  New Release:  The Man Who Would Be King from Adam De Lucia Label: Independent Release Date: August 7, 2026 Website:  https://thetektonics.com/ Guitarist, leader and composer Adam De Lucia amasses a symphony of improvised solos and mutable support structures on his recording The Man Who Would Be King , a title inspired by John Huston’s adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling story.  Integrating jazz fusion, funk, blues, and flaming Santana-esque riffs, De Lucia delivers a sonic adventure for the listener through psychedelic soundscapes, rollicking rhythms, and sizzling interplay.  Comprised of 8 original tracks by De Lucia, the music has a spontaneous slant, moving in various directions as the musicians build from one another's threads in each piece.  "Will You Follow” is a prime example, developing solo parts from a single motif that causes shifts in the melodic patterns, heightening in scope and intensity.  The funky furls of Michael Ghegan's tenor sax cr...

  New Release:  Treasury Volume 3 from Terry Waldo Label:  Turtle Bay Records Release Date:  June 5, 2026 Website:  https://terrywaldo.com Treasury Volume 3   is pianist, historian, cultural preservationist, and bandleader Terry Waldo's latest installment in his Ragtime Classics series.   From Creole to Storyville jazz, from bluesy tin pan alley grooves to jaunty vaudeville tempos, and from ragtime to swing, Waldo demonstrates his affection and fidelity to early American jazz, shaped by improvisation, interplay, and spirited harmonies.   Joining Waldo on the recording are:  Jay Lepley on drums and vocals, Jim Fryer on trombone and vocals, Mike Davis on trumpet and vocals, Jerron Paxton on banjo and vocals, Evan Arntzen on clarinet, Ricky Alexander on clarinet, Colin Hancock on trumpet, Nick Russo on banjo, Brian Nalepka on bass and Arnt Arntzen on banjo.  His reworking of Jelly Roll Morton's fan favorite “Frog-I-More Rag,” crea...

  Indianapolis-based saxophonist, composer and bandleader Sean Imboden cultivates a modern jazz, big band atmosphere that brings new elements into the platform.  He directs the Sean Imboden Large Ensemble (SILE), a 17-piece group that reimagines traditional big band scores and ventures into creating original material through enthralling improvisations and dynamic interplay. "We have many great musicians in Indianapolis, so I have a large pool to draw from," he cites, describing, "I look for people I know will play the parts well, and can blend well with their bandmates."  "Everyone in the band has a good amount of experience with playing in big bands and other ensembles," he determines, "so when they get together for my gigs, they know how to dial it in. Another important quality is for each musician to be willing to prepare their individual part before the rehearsal. Then, when we get together to play, we can focus on details and bring...

  New Release:  Keep Holding On from Leigh Pilzer Label:  Strange Woman Records 010 Release Date:  June 19, 2026 Website:  www.leighpilzer.com Leigh Pilzer's dexterity on the baritone saxophone will inspire audiences to remember the hard-bop extemporizing of iconic saxophonists like Dexter Gordon and Zoot Sims.  Her 2026 endeavor Keep Holding On blends traditional jazz precepts with contemporary sensibilities  A bulk of the compositions are original material written by Pilzer, crisscrossing between the freestyle call and respond conversations of her original work "Swinging at the Station" and the fluid riffs of her tuneful "When It's Gone."  Her interplay with trombonists Jen Krupa and Joe Jackson, trumpet players Kenny Rittenhouse and Ally Hany Albrecht, and Hammond B3 organist Paul Bratcher is spicy, bold and expressive.  The tracks are tweaked by the fiery and combustible playing of drummer Greg Holloway, who make every track pop and crac...

  New Release:  Free: A Soulful Journey from Gergana Velinova Label:  Cellar Music Group Release Date:  June 12, 2026 Website:  https://gerganavelinova.com/home Free:  A Soulful Journey from smooth jazz vocalist Gergana Velinova is her seventh outing as a solo artist.  Melodies travel between being breezy and haunting, soothing and surging, caressing and sizzling, introspective and soaring, trussed in Latin-inspired shimmies, lulling melodies, and bluesy showtunes-style shuffles.  Born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria, into a family where artistry was woven into her daily life, Velinova's refined vocalese molds "Orange Moon" into a romantic calling as she muses, "Orange Moon / do you feel alone when you dance with the dawn / do you see that all / is your heart aglow / longing day and night / just to see his eyes and his golden face / across a sky ablaze /  so in love."  The sultry strut rollicking across "Something More" brings out the pla...

  Album:  Earth Travelers Artist:  Asai Kastan Duo Label:  Space2Groove Records Release Date:  April 23, 2026 Website:  http://www.takeshiasai.com/index.html https://www.space2grooverecords.com Earth Travelers is a kaleidoscopic voyage helmed by pianist Takeshi Asai and Brian Kastan on fretless bass.   Their prismatic inflections, multi-hued tones, and free flowing sound waves craft an atmospheric expedition that delights audiences.  The pair demonstrate a smooth repartee formed by the piano and bass, rarely experienced in music.  Their lyrical improvisations and random dynamics keep the tracks in a state of flux that heightens the listeners senses from the fiery exchanges of "We Made It" to the silky conversing through the title track.   The cresting and ebbing motions of "Sonic Pathways" permeate an emotive vibe, while the lulling swells of "This Is The Way" project a consolatory stroking.  The duo travel from the ether...

  New Release:  Fool's Fate from Rik Wright and the Fundamental Forces Label:  HipSync Records Release Date:  July 10, 2026 Website:  www.rikwright.com Seattle-based guitarist and composer, Rik Wright is at the helm of Fundamental Forces, a quartet that hones psychedelic jazz soundscapes,  balancing improvised movements with melodically structured motifs.  Their 2026 recording Fool's Fate , comprised of original material written by Wright, shows the quartet's malleable quality to be spontaneous, riffing off one another while maintaining the core thread.  Tracks like "Nothin' But A Thang" and "Freezer Jam" are hold together by a recurring motif that each musician builds from, exercising their extemporaneous leanings.  The soft splendor of "Luminescence" is tasseled in James DeJoie's dulcet saxophone twirls, cradled in the lounging bass pump of Geoff Harper and steady beats of drummer Greg Campbell, as Wright's unbridled musings on th...

  New Release:  Eklektika from Carolyn Lee Jones Label:  Catn’round Sound Release Date: June 15, 2025 Website: www.carolynleejones.com Singer-songwriter Carolyn Lee Jones showcases a vocal swagger that exudes confidence and total command of the progression of the melodies in her performance, emblematic of the elegant charisma of Jane Monheit and the sentimental persuasion of Wayne Newton.  Her 2026 release Eklektika presents a complementing range of material from Broadway standards like George and Ira Gershwin's "Embraceble You" to the uplifting narration of "That’s What Being in Love Is All About," written by Roger Boykin and propelled by a swinging rhythm and balmy embers.  The classic bopping tremors of "Out of Nowhere,” by Johnny Green and Edward Heyman, features a sizzling saxophone solo from Shelley Carrol and a striking piano vamp played by Peter Rioux.  The cushiony bossa nova ambience of Michael Franks's ruminating tune "Tell Me All About...

  New Release:  Colors of Time from Sergio Pereira Label:  Sergio Pereira Music Release Date:  May 15, 2026 Website:  www.sergiopereira.world A fusion of R&B/soul, smooth jazz, and Brazilian rhythms, guitarist, vocalist, percussionist, composer, and bandleader Sergio Pereira stylizes a feel-good repertoire on his 2026 release Colors of Time .  Containing original material written by Pereira, his music conjures images of balmy summer days strolling leisurely across beach sand, lounging listlessly on the deck of a sailboat cruising around a picturesque island, or enjoying an outdoor samba dance party.  His music puts a smile on the listener's face, loaded with pleasing aesthetics, enjoyable tones, and attractive rhythms.  Bossa nova swells put listeners at ease through the title track, drifting into the soothing ambience of "Brightness of You," and the shimmying grooves of "Up the Hill," augmented by the gentle flutter of Oriente Lopez's flute....

  New Release:  A Texas Sized Band from the Joymakers Label:  Turtle Bay Records Release Date:  April 24, 2026 Website:  www.facebook.com/colin.hancock2101 Based in Austin, Texas, the Joymakers revive stomping ragtime jazz, which emerged in speakeasies through the 1920's and early '30s.  Rejuvenating the hot jazz of vaudeville shows, Broadway's tinpan alley days, and the nostalgic dancehalls of Storyville in New Orleans, the 10-piece ensemble delivers Prohibition Era jazz with a modern tilt on their sophomore release A Texas Sized Band .  Fronted by multi-instrumentalist Colin Hancock, the tracks are vintage standards, arranged by Hancock and saxophonist/vocalist Lauryn Gould.  The tunes are overwhelmingly sunny and jubilant anchored by strutting rhythms, horns that blare and pop, keys that rattle and sizzle, and Westen Borghesi's banjo that quivers and flares.  The clip-clopping beats of "The Pay Off" induce a party atmosphere, turning to a ...

  New Release:  Live at Blue Llama from the David Janeway Trio Label: Steeplechase Release Date: May 4, 2026 Artist Website: davidjaneway.com Label Website: steeplechase.dk Recorded live on June 15, 2024 at the Blue Llama Jazz Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the David Janeway Trio demonstrates a collaborative engagement on their release Live at Blue Llama that is nimble, spontaneous, and lyrical.  Featuring David Janeway on piano, Robert Hurst on bass, and Billy Hart on drums, the album showcases a handful of jazz standards mixed in with a number of original compositions.   Their original work “Sweet and Lovely” draws from Latin influences in the rhythmic grooves, in addition to traces of bop in the melodic phrasing of Janeway's cantoring keys.  The trio's respond and exchange creates a dynamic dialogue.  The reflective mood of Gary Peacock's piece "Gardenia" is comfortably paced, displaying a warm interplay between Janeway's languid keys and Hurst's slo...