Cambien, Jonas: Man Eating Tree
They say : Man Eating Tree is the first solo album by Belgian-born, Oslo-based pianist Jonas Cambien. On prepared piano and electric organ, Cambien channels a soundscape of meditative repetition and oscillating rhythms. Grounded in repetitive melodies and fluctuating rhythms that stratify and evolve, it nods to contemporary composer Ligeti, along with minimalists Terry Riley and Steve Reich. (Sonic Transmissions STRLP39)
Cento Threeo: Halfway To Mellowtown
They say : Halfway To Mellowtown is the debut album from Austin-based Cento Threeo, a Jazz / Americana trio led by guitarist and composer Don Cento. The album was cut live with Don on guitar, drummer Norm Bergeron and Phil Spencer on bass. All eleven numbers are rooted in composition but make ample room for improvisation. The trio’s sound merges the sophistication of 90s jazz guitar and classic 60s post-bop with textures of Americana and indie rock. (SecondBridge Records SBR003) Hear Cento Threeo.
Chaidemenos, Markos: Light Beam
They say : Piano-led contemporary jazz album blending chamber music elements with a cinematic, narrative approach. Featuring piano, string quartet and voice, the music moves between lyricism, improvisation and detailed orchestration. Strong emphasis on melody, atmosphere and interplay. Independently produced and released on vinyl and digital, following a successful crowdfunding campaign. For listeners of modern European jazz with classical influences. (Independent) Hear Markos Chaidemenos.
Chart, Justin: The Nightside
They say : Justin Chart’s 2026 album, The Nightside, is a cinematic jazz experience. Anchored by the explosive chemistry between Chart’s imperious bebop saxophone and Brian Charette’s soulful Hammond B3 organ, it captures the electric energy of a late-night city session. It’s a vibrant, aggressive, yet smooth conversation between two masters at their peak. (Universal Music Group 40034 88663 )
Chiminyo: NRG 5
They say : London based drummer/producer, Chiminyo will release the fifth edition of his NRG series, ‘NRG 5’ on 8th May 2026. Conceived by one of the city’s most forward-thinking musicians, the NRG series extends beyond albums, labels, or events. The record is one gig, one take, one album. Recorded live at Peckham Levels, ‘NRG 5’ features leading musicians Kaidi Akinnibi, Oscar Jerome, Charlie Stacey, Rudi Creswick, and Magnus Mehta (NRG Discs)
Cohen, Emmet: Universal Truth
They say : Emmet Cohen, DownBeat’s2025 Pianist of the Year, has been busy: touring a Miles Davis & John Coltrane tribute to sold-out audiences worldwide, running Live from Emmet’s Place as the “most highly watched regular online jazz show in the world,” and recording his new album, Universal Truth. With Joe Farnsworth, Jeremy Pelt, & Tivon Pennicott with Ron Carter & George Coleman, Emmet pairs timeless classics with new originals that honor jazz’s royalty while boldly carrying their tradition forward. (Mack Avenue Records, MAC1242)
Cole, Steve: Sleight Of Hand
They say : Saxophonist and composer Steve Cole has become one of the most celebrated and popular artists in contemporary jazz since his debut album in 1998. With his new album, Sleight of Hand, Cole pulls no punches, combining the sounds of two cities, Chicago and Minneapolis, that have come to define his musical identity. Partnering with producer David Mann for a collection of 10 new original songs and featuring guitar phenom Cory Wong (Vulfpeck, Fearless Flyers), the album is both familiar and adventurous, exploring the world of jazz within the pulse of disco, energy of house music and influence of the Minneapolis sound. (Mack Avenue Records, ART7091)
Coltrane, John: Coltrane (Blue Vinyl)
They say : A timeless statement from a jazz giant, the studio album Coltrane captures John Coltrane at his most focused and expressive. Originally released on Impulse!, this LP is pure intensity and elegance. Performed by Coltrane’s classic quartet with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones, the quartet delivers tight and powerful interplay throughout. (20th Century Masterworks 350303 – LP)
Conic Rose: Wedding
They say : Wedding is the second independently released album by young Berlin band Conic Rose. The band’s first album Heller Tag found fans in Gilles Peterson, Lauren Laverne and Nemone among others thanks to its unique take on jazz, infused with seemingly disparate influences like Radiohead and the local Berlin techno / electronic scene. For their second album, Conic Rose repositioned themselves completely. Not in terms of personnel, but in the question of how to move forward. Conic Rose still sound like Conic Rose; their distinctive blend of avant-garde jazz, alternative rock, ambient and electronic music remains untouched. And yet Wedding is, in many ways, the conceptual counterpart to their debut album Heller Tag. Where the debut documented movement within an urban setting, Wedding describes a state of being. (Independent) Hear Conic Rose.
Connors, Bill: Of Mist And Melting (Luminessence)
They say : “A subtle tour de force” are the words with which Billboard met guitarist Bill Connors’s Of Mist And Melting upon the album’s release in 1978; and revisiting this music decades later only confirms that special spirits were indeed at work when the Manfred Eicher-produced session with Jan Garbarek, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette and Connors unfolded at Oslo’s Talent Studio in December 1977. (ECM 602475981152 LP )
Cowley, Neil – Trio: Built On Bach
They say : Built on Bach is a collection of original material loosely based on the works of JS Bach, but shaped in the distinctive sound of the Neil Cowley Trio. Each piece uses the essence of Bach’s work as kernels of inspiration, not as a jazz reinterpretation or reinvention, but as a way of revealing the Bach DNA that runs through Cowley’s own music. Their signature sound is ever-present – dynamic, driving, contemplative, wistful, tender… (Hide Inside Records HIDECD007) Hear Neil Cowley.
Dahl, Carsten – Reuben Roger & Gregory Hutchinson: Into The Storm
They say : Into the Storm brings together renowned Danish pianist Carsten Dahl with one of the most formidable rhythm sections in modern jazz, American bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. Across nine tracks consisting of a mix of standards and original compositions, the trio delivers a masterclass in trust, shared pulse and fearless improvisation. (Storyville Records, 1018544)
David Miilmann Group: You Belong
They say : Danish quintet David Miilmann Group return with You Belong, their third album and a vibrant, uplifting statement built around guitarist David Miilmann’s distinctive slide guitar voice. Rooted in soul and blues but shaped within a genre-defying jazz context, the band brings a life-affirming energy to music that moves between groove, melody, and open improvisation with ease. (April Records)
Davies, Richard: The Son Of The Man Who Wrestled A Sea Lion
They say : Richard Davies, the UK saxophonist known for weaving jazz, ambient textures, and electronic experimentation into something unmistakably his own, pushes further into the borderlands of genre with this new fusion release. The album moves like a story told in shifting light—lyrical saxophone lines rising out of deep rhythmic currents, analogue warmth meeting digital grit, and improvisation sparking against sculpted sound design. It’s jazz with a restless pulse, built on atmosphere as much as virtuosity. (Independent) Hear Richard Davies.
Davis, Miles: Birth Of The Cool
They say : The music of the Miles Davis Nonet heard on Birth of the Cool left the audiences of the late 1940s indifferent. The group, however, was highly popular among other musicians though and served as an inspirational force to a multitude of other bands, including those featured on Birth of The Cool. Traces of the nonet’s music can be found in Miles’ early 1950s recordings, including the wonderful collaborations between Gil Evans and Miles. (Number One Essential 291050 – LP)
Davis, Miles: Kind Of Blue (Blue Vinyl)
They say : ‘Kind Of Blue ‘ is a timeless masterpiece that defined modal jazz with its spacious, lyrical, and deeply expressive sound. Featuring Miles Davis with John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb, the sextet plays with rare empathy and freedom. Anchored by classics like ‘So What’, ‘Freddie Freeloader’, ‘Blue in Green’, ‘All Blues’, and ‘Flamenco Sketches’, the album is pure jazz poetry and one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time. (Jazz Images 37197 – LP)
Davis, Miles: Round About Midnight
They say : Miles Davis’ ‘Round About Midnight marked his triumphant arrival at Columbia Records. Surrounded by his classic quintet with John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones, Davis reshaped modern jazz with cool restraint, lyrical trumpet lines, and daring improvisation. The haunting title track, alongside reimagined standards, balances intimacy and tension with masterful control. This special edition includes an earlier version of ‘Round Midnight ‘, recorded for Prestige Records with the same personnel as the Columbia Records LP presented here. (Jazz Wax 4646LP – LP)
Davis, Miles: The Musings Of Miles (Purple Vinyl)
They say : The Musings of Miles shows Miles Davis in a relaxed yet deeply lyrical mood, blending cool elegance with hard-bop drive. Featuring Red Garland, Oscar Pettiford, and Philly Joe Jones, the quartet delivers intimate, swinging performances with great restraint. A tasteful early statement that highlights space, melody, and Miles’ unmistakable tone. (20th Century Masterworks 350301 – LP)
Davis, Miles: The Miles Davis Quintet (Red Vinyl)
They say : The New Miles Davis Quintet captures a young Miles Davis shaping the sound of modern jazz with confidence and fire. Featuring John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones, the group’s chemistry is sharp and deeply swinging. A landmark hardbop session full of lyrical solos, tight interplay, and forward-looking energy. (20th Century Masterworks 350302 – LP)
Davis, Miles: Porgy And Bess
They say : Porgy and Bess is a stunning orchestral collaboration where Miles Davis brings depth, blues feeling, and lyricism to Gershwin’s opera. Arranged and conducted by Gil Evans, the album features a large ensemble that frames Miles’ trumpet with rich, cinematic textures. Highlights like ‘Summertime’, ‘Buzzard Song’, and ‘It Ain’t Necessarily So’ highlight its dramatic scope and emotional power. (Number One Essentials 291051 – LP)
Del Fra, Riccardo: Songs For Chet, Songs For Now
They say : This box set brings together three major albums by Riccardo Del Fra, an essential double bassist and composer on the European jazz scene. From the intimacy of the duets on A Sip of Your Touch, a sensitive and deeply personal tribute, to the ambitious orchestral writing of My Chet My Song, Riccardo Del Fra explores the legacy of Chet Baker while reinventing it. With Moving People, he anchors his approach in a resolutely contemporary language: open, committed music inspired by the upheavals of today’s world. Through these three complementary facets emerges the portrait of a complete musician, exploring and reshaping memory while always looking to the future, for whom sound, silence and precision remain essential. A reference box set for understanding the aesthetic of the great Italian double bassist. Augustin BONDOUX / Patrick FRÉMEAUX (Frémeaux & Associés FA8628)
Dinucci, Kiko / Volkmann, Luise: Canto de Olho
They say : A sound steeped in MPB (Música popular brasileira) and the acoustic guitar traditions of Brazil on the one hand, and European jazz and improvised music on the other, it is at once playful and experimental, charmingly detailed and fiercely intense. Threaded into the serpentine improvisations are song-like structures drawn from quotes dedicated to the Orixás – the ancestral deities originating in West African Yoruba tradition and central to the Afro-Brazilian religious practices of Candomblé. (Power House Records) Hear Kiko Dinucci.
Distant Birds: Vol. 1 & Vol. 02
They say : Best known for their work in celebrated Australian jazz outfits The Necks and Boy & Bear, keyboardist Chris Abrahams and bassist Dave Symes join forces on Distant Birds, Vol. 01 & 02, a hypnotic new collaboration that blends psychedelic soul grooves, extended improvisation and deep rhythmic interplay. (Earshift Music EAR107)
Donelian, Armen: Inquiry
They say : “Inquiry” grew out of Armen’s plan to develop a solo piano demo focusing on his recent compositions. It deepened into several years of listening to the tracks, during which time he imagined orchestrating them with other piano tracks, somewhat akin to Bill Evans’s “Conversations with Myself.” The result is a meticulously crafted studio production–an intimate dialogue with himself. On several tracks, Armen brings other voices (Jay Anderson, b; Dennis Mackrel, d; Dominique Eade, voc; Ed Neumeister, tb) into the conversation. (Sunnyside SSC4040) Hear Armen Donelian.
Doug MacDonald Trio: Live In Beverly Hills
They say : Long a fixture in the Southern California jazz scene, the prolific guitarist Doug MacDonald is showcased on a previously unreleased vintage performance. MacDonald is teamed with bassist Lou Schoch and drummer Billy Paul for an inspired straight ahead trio set that is timeless, fresh and swinging. (Dmac Music, DM 28)
Duchess: A Marvelous Party
They say : New York-based jazz vocal trio Duchess — Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner and Melissa Stylianou’s fourth full-length release since 2013, is a concept album, spinning the tale of a party in all its scenes and shades of feeling, from eager anticipation (“This Could Be the Start of Something Big”) and dizzy elation (“Ain’t That a Kick in the Head”) to wistful ennui (“Is That All There Is?”) and, ultimately, warm-hearted appreciation of it all (“Danke Schoen”). Brimful of swinging joie de vivre, the album captures the trio harmonizing via richly inventive arrangements tailormade by the Grammy-nominated Oded Lev-Ari. (Anzic Records ANZ0096)
