Lacy, Steve: Axieme
They say : Axieme is a live solo album by avant-garde saxophonist Steve Lacy recorded in September 1975 in the acoustic spaces of the 13th century Church of San Francesco, Como, Italy. Now remastered and reissued on CD, the album contains Lacy’s compositions ‘Deadline’, ‘The New Duck’, ‘Tao (Suite)’, ‘Coastline’, and ‘The Crust”. (Red Records RR1231202 – CD)
Lady Nade: Identity
They say : Lady Nade is a Bristol-based singer-songwriter known for her rich, velveteen vocal tone and emotionally honest songwriting. A Song of the Year winner (2022) and Artist of the Year nominee (2023) at the UK Americana Awards, Lady Nade is one of the UK’s most emotionally resonant voices, blending folk, soul, Americana, jazz and roots. Her 4th album, Identity is out now. (Independent)
Ledisi: For Dinah Deluxe
They say : Grammy-winning vocalist Ledisi celebrates the legacy of Dinah Washington with For Dinah (Deluxe Edition), expanding her acclaimed tribute to the legendary “Queen of the Blues”. Produced with longtime collaborator Rex Rideout and bassist Christian McBride, the deluxe edition features four additional tracks, including new renditions of “Nobody Knows the Way I Feel This Morning” and “Ill Wind (You’re Blowing Me No Good)”. Featuring Gregory Porter and Paul Jackson Jr., Ledisi honours Washington’s enduring influence with effortless soul. (Candid Records 708857339334) Hear Ledisi.
Light, Max: Unlearning
They say : Acclaimed guitarist/composer Max Light began devising the musical themes that run through his bold new album while playing for his father in a memory care facility. Through that heartbreaking journey Light discovered that even life’s darkest experiences can result in moments of enlightenment and transformation. On Unlearning he’s joined by a stellar band of friends and collaborators: pianist Julian Shore, bassist Walter Stinson, drummer Steven Crammer and soprano saxophonist/stritch player Caleb Wheeler Curtis. (Chill Tone)
Lorenson, Russ: What I Want For Christmas (20th Anniversary Edition)
They say : Twenty years after its original release, Russ Lorenson revisits What I Want for Christmas in an anniversary edition that goes far beyond remastering. Alongside newly remastered tracks, several songs have been reimagined and re-orchestrated, including a sweeping new treatment of Christmas in San Francisco. Blending beloved standards with lesser-known seasonal gems, Lorenson brings a jazz singer’s phrasing and storyteller’s intimacy to a collection spanning buoyant big-band swing, romantic warmth and tender late-night reflection. (RL Productions, RL-007)
Mankunku Big Band: In Full Flight
They say : This 1974 session reads like a roll call of South African jazz royalty at that moment: Winston Mankunku Ngozi, Barney Rachabane, Dennis Mpale, Dick Khoza, Sipho Gumede and Baba Mokoena. Six of the seven tunes are Mankunku originals. The centrepiece is “Yakhal’ Inkomo,” remade on a grand scale six years after the original, and this is its only big-band recording. ” These recordings are among the freshest and most vital jazz recordings made anywhere and anyplace. Mankunku’s robust and incisive tenor playing is supported by a first-rate band and thought-provoking arrangements.” — Salim Washington. Matsuli has dived deep into the basement vault of South African Broadcasting Corporation’s transcription recordings and selected and licensed a series of albums. Available to the public for the first time, these broadcast transcriptions made were made in the late 60s and the 70s. All restored and mastered from original transcription discs. (Matsuli Music – MM201)
Mansfield, Jonny: Wide Step
They say : Award-winning vibraphonist and composer Jonny Mansfield returns with Wide Step, the second album from his quartet featuring Will Barry, Will Sach and Luke McCarthy, alongside New York guitarist Emmanuel Michael. Recorded at Fish Factory Studios and London’s Vortex Jazz Club, the album moves between intricate rhythmic writing, spacious melodies and collective improvisation. Building on the quartet’s acclaimed live debut, Wide Step captures the spontaneity of their performances while exploring new textures and musical possibilities. (Resonant Postcards – RP009) Hear Jonny Mansfield.
Maroney, Denman: Martingale
They say : Martingale is pianist and composer Denman Maroney’s compelling statement of his singular musical language, uniting hyperpiano technique, layered rhythmic design, and a long-standing working quartet into a vivid, high-precision album. Recorded in February 2020 shortly before the world shut down and Maroney moved from New York to France, the album features reedist Steven Frieder in his first recording with Maroney, alongside bassist Ratzo Harris and drummer Bob Meyer, both longtime collaborators. (Neuma DMM) Hear Denman Maroney.
Marrows, Billy: Dancing On Bentwood Chairs (Live at Love Supreme)
They say : Billy Marrows and The Billy Marrows Band are set to release a live recording of their debut studio album ‘Dancing On Bentwood Chairs’ captured this summer at Love Supreme Jazz Festival. Recorded using a single stereo microphone and with no editing – apart from cutting down Billy’s talking after ‘Woland Blues’ – the live album preserves one of the band’s most joyous performances to date. Set against the backdrop of a sun-soaked festival weekend, Love Supreme cultivates a relaxed, communal, and discovery-friendly energy, celebrating jazz’s ever-expanding possibilities. The New Generation Jazz Stage, dedicated to rising talent, was singled out by Ears Melt as “one of the standout discoveries of the weekend, spotlighting emerging artists taking the genre in bold new directions”. (Ears Melt, independent) Hear Billy Marrows.
Marrows, Billy & Aggett, Beth: Sing, Robin, Sing!
They say : Jazz guitarist/composer Billy Marrows and singer-songwriter Beth Aggett have teamed up for ‘Sing, Robin, Sing!’ a six-track folky chamber-jazz Christmas EP with Marrows’ ensemble Grandinha Família. All proceeds will go to World Child Cancer, continuing the relationship Marrows built with the charity after his debut album Penelope (2024) – shortlisted for Album of the Year at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards – and raising over £6,000 in memory of his Mother. Because the EP is being released in December, purchases before 8th December can potentially be doubled through The Big Give, the UK’s annual charity matching campaign. A mix of original songs and traditional carols, the EP is split evenly between the two artists as writers and arrangers. With a unique ensemble of voice, guitar, viola and horns, it presents a fresh take on the classic Christmas themes of winter, warmth, and nostalgia. (Independent) Hear Billy Marrows and Beth Aggett.
Mazur, Marilyn: Circular Chant (Remastered)
They say : A newly remastered edition of Circular Chant, percussionist Marilyn Mazur’s 1994 recording made in connection with the Jazzpar Project. The album documents a specially assembled ensemble featuring Nils Petter Molvær, Per Jørgensen, Michael Riessler, Hans Ulrik, Bugge Wesseltoft, Mikkel Nordsø, Klavs Hovman, Jacob Andersen, and Mazur herself. The album contains 13 tracks in total: nine compositions by Marilyn Mazur, and four co-composed group pieces. (Storyville Records, 1018497)
McBride, Christian: Points Of Light
They say : Christian McBride has worn many hats across his 30-plus-year career: bandleader, artistic director, 11x Grammy-winning bassist, and collaborator with names like Sting, Billie Eilish, and Paul McCartney. But at his core is a commitment to spotlighting younger artists. With Ursa Major and their debut album Points of Light, McBride steps into his “Art Blakey era,” featuring Nicole Glover, Mike King, Ely Perlman, and Savannah Harris—a bold new ensemble poised to take over the conversation. (Mack Avenue, CDMAC1241)
Meslien, Kham: Vévés électriques
They say : Following the critically acclaimed Fantômes…Futurs, praised by FIP, France Inter, Radio Nova, ARTE and the international jazz press, double bassist and composer Kham Meslien returns with Vévés électriques, a second album where memory, landscape and improvisation merge into a single sonic journey. Joined by Laurent Bardainne, Roger Raspail, Naïssam Jalal and David Neerman, Meslien expands the intimate language of his double bass with subtle loops and organic textures, weaving together echoes of Iceland, the Caribbean and imagined territories. (Heavenly Sweetness) Hear Kham Meslien.
Michael Pagan Big Band: Burn It Forward
They say : All original music and a smoking hot ensemble populated by Kansas City’s finest jazz musicians make the second big band album by pianist/composer Michael Pagán even more fiery and exciting than the first. Burn It Forward moves from post-bop through funk blues, lush ballads, and more, all enhanced by Pagán’s signature tonal palette and formidable yet accessible harmonic approach. (Capri Records)
Micus, Stephan: Traces In The Sand
They say : Stephan Micus is an extraordinary musical traveller, collecting instruments around the world and then making his unique musical compositions. This album features a dozen instruments from Borneo, Japan, India, Armenia, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Botswana, Morocco, Ireland, Switzerland and Bavaria. Celebrating the richness of the sea. It is his 27th solo album (ECM 2871 CD)
Micus, Stephan: The Garden Of Mirrors
They say : The Garden Of Mirrors, cultural sound-traveller Stephan Micus’s fourteenth album, can today be considered a pillar in the German multi-instrumentalist’s wide-reaching oeuvre upon its original release on ECM in 1997. On The Garden Of Mirrors, his ever-expanding pool of instruments, often collected during travels around the world, is reduced to two traditional African harps, the bolombatto (gut strings) and sinding (hemp strings). Garden of Mirrors is now issued on vinyl for the first time. (ECM 1632 LP)
Mikami, Rintaro: Cosmolamps
They say : Drummer/composer Rintaro Mikami’s 2nd Album “Cosmolamps” presents philosophical song cycle exploring the relationship between memory, time, and the small moments that quietly accumulate into a life. Anchored by three versions of the title theme “Time,” presented as past, present, and future, the album traces Mikami’s ten years living in New York and the inner landscapes he’s navigated along the way. Featuring pianist Jon Cowherd, the record moves from meditative ballads to open, exploratory group interplay. (Self-Released RM-002) Hear Rintaro Mikami.
Miller, Dominic: Diana
They say : With Diana, Dominic Miller makes a particularly compelling return to ECM. His fourth album for the label sees the return of familiar colleagues in bandoneonist Santiago Arias, whose gracefully playing could already be heard on Absinthe (2019), and guitarist’s rhythm section from Vagabond (2023) in bassist Nicolas Fiszman and drummer Ziv Ravitz. Dedicated to Miller’s mother, who died in 2026, Diana is a deeply personal album. (ECM 2849 (CD & LP))
Mingus, Charles: Oh Yeah
They say : The complete original Charles Mingus LP Oh Yeah – it presents a unique formation of Mingus’ group of that time, the Jazz Workshop, with Rahsaan Roland Kirk in one of only three recorded collaborations with Mingus. His chemistry with Mingus is fantastically explosive and it’s a shame Kirk only spent three months with the band. All the compositions on Oh Yeah are by Mingus. (Number One Essential 291058 – LP)
Moreno, Tony: A Celebration Of Elvin Jones
They say : Paying tribute to the legendary John Coltrane drummer who mentored him and gave him his first drumset, Tony Moreno’s ‘A Celebration Of Elvin Jones’ interprets ten tracks associated with Elvin Jones’ recordings as a leader and features spirited new renditions that paint a portrait of Jones’ dynamism and humanity. With the release, Moreno assembled an all-star ensemble, featuring 3X Grammy-nominated tenor saxophonist Troy Roberts, Grammy-nominee pianist Manuel Valera, Grammy-winning percussionist Mauricio Herrera, alto saxophonist Patrick Cornelius and legendary bassist Gene Perla, who spent the first half of the 1970s in Elvin Jones’ band. (Mayimba Records) Hear Tony Moreno.
Morton, Jelly Roll: New Orleans Joys : The Earliest Recordings, 1923-1926
They say : ‘New Orleans Joys : The Earliest Recordings, 1924-1926’ is the definitive collection of legendary pianist, composer and band leader Jelly Roll Morton’s influential early works. The New Orleans jazz innovator and raconteur, who died 85 years ago (July 10th, 1941), created seismic change in the evolution of American music that is still felt today. All 53 tracks on this 2-disc set were meticulously transferred and restored from the super rare original 78rpm records. Morton’s life and music are illuminated in an 80-page booklet – a treasure trove of rare photos and ephemera and exhaustively researched essays by Grammy-winner Ricky Riccardi, Andrew Oliver, and co-producers Joe Lauro and Russell Shor. Mastered by Grammy nominated engineer, Jessica Thompson. Designed by Grammy nominated art director, Barbara Bersche. (Tompkins Square / TSQ 4166)
Moss, Michael: Quantum Butterfly
They say : Multi-instrumentalist and composer Michael Moss releases a wide-ranging and consistently inventive four-CD set, Quantum Butterfly. With Moss switching between tenor, soprano, clarinet, bass clarinet, and flute, Quantum Butterfly features his Roots To Shots jazz combo, the electronic title cut, and a CD of works for a string orchestra. (Fourth Stream Records 4-CD Box Set ERG-10014-5)