Recent Releases

January 2025
Some Recent Releases

A few words about recent releases / reviews:

Apart from where they are included in articles on this website, I don't have a 'Reviews' section for a number of reasons:

I receive so many requests to review recordings it is impossible to include them all.
Unlike some publications/blogs, Sandy Brown Jazz is not a funded website and it is not possible to pay reviewers.
Reviews tend to be personal opinions, something a reviewer likes might not suit you, or vice versa.
It is difficult to capture music in words, so much better to be able to listen and see whether the music interests you.

For these reasons in particular I just include a selection of recent recordings below where I share the notes issued by the musician(s) as an introduction and links to samples so you can 'taste' the music for yourselves. For those who like to read reviews, these, of course, can be checked out on other sites.

Some albums are priced in dollars or other currencies. These are marked ^. There are currency options if you proceed to order. Recordings are now regularly available on different formats (CD, mp3 downloads, vinyl) or platforms e.g iTunes, Spotify, etc. I am unable to list them all so it is worth checking if you have a favourite platform).

Featured In January 2025

UK

Paul Dunmall - Red Hot Ice
(Discus Music) - Released: 8th November 2024

Paul Dunmall (tenor saxophone, c soprano saxophone); Percy Pursglove (trumpet); Richard Foote (trombone); Alicia Gardener-Trejo (baritone saxophone); James Birkett (electric guitar); Andrew Woodhead (synthesizers, organ, rhodes); Glen Leach (acoustic piano, lorenzo organ, voice); James Owston (double bass); Jim Bashford (drums)

'Working with a nine piece group centred around his Birmingham based colleagues, and which includes double keys and electronics, Dunmall delivers a swirling mix of spacey big band music which breaks down into atmospheric and exciting open ended improvisations from time to time. Paul considers this to be a milestone release, and one which is unlike anything else in his extensive discography.' (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to Dearly Departed : Listen to Red Hot Ice :

Playtime - Morse Code Through The Lights
(Myriad Streams) - Released: 25th October 2024

Martin Kershaw ( alto & soprano sax); Graeme Stephen (guitar); Mario Caribe (bass); Tom Bancroft (drums, bodhrán); with Laura Jurd , Byron Wallen, Natsuki Tamura (trumpet); Denys Baptiste, Iain Ballamy (tenor sax); Satoko Fuji (piano); Ernst Rejseger (cello), Corey Mwamba (vibes)

Playtime Morse Code Through The Lights.jpg

'Bored with lockdown, wanting to do something for their audiences and themselves, the playmates plunged into gigging live over the internet. It shouldn't have worked, but it did, their years of playing together allowing them to surmount the delay implicit in the technology. Morse Code ... traces this story with band members narrating their relationship to the process.......' (Jazzwise)

Details and Samples : Listen to Morse Code Through The Lights : Listen to We Live On A Flat Earth :

Kevin Figes, Julie Tippetts - Happy Apples

(SLAM Productions) - Released: 29th November 2024

Kevin Figes (soprano and alto saxophones, flute, bass flute, piano, transistor radios, chicken); Julie Tippetts (voice, zither, Happy Apples, ducks, percussion)

Kevin Figes Julie Tippetts Happy Apples.jpg

'Happy Apples’ presents a collection of improvised duo exchanges between legendary free jazz vocalist Julie Tippetts, whose spell-binding vocals intermingle perfectly with saxophonist Kevin Figes’ atmospheric playing. Both musicians supplement the recording with an array of percussive devices, including the quirky tinkling 1970s toy that lends the album its name. The epic opening track “The Third Harmony” sets the mood for the recording as Tippetts displays a dazzling array of vocal techniques throughout, with Figes switching to flute and percussion accompaniment. Other tracks involve strange sounds - a crackling transistor radio, squeaking plastic chicken and toy duck that complement the traditional instruments and Julie’s voice, which is the most powerful and striking of them all...... (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to Gallop To Somewhere : Listen to Aunty Beryl's Stockings :

Raffy Bushman - Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
(Bridge The Gap Records) - Released: 20th September 2024

Raffy Bushman (piano); Johnny Woodham (trumpet); Luke Wynter (guitar); Arran Kent (flute); Theo Erskine (sax); Matt Davies (drums); Dwayne Kilvington (percussion); Alec Huwes (upright bass).

Raffy Bushman Here Today Gone Tomorrow.jpg

'Swaggering post-bop-into hip-hop sounds from London pianist/ composer Raffy Bushman, with stripped back productionand a sense of space giving this five song set its edge........' (Jazzwise)

Details and Samples : Listen to Fitzcarraldo : Listen to Love Of Mine :

Xhosa Cole - On A Modern Genius (Vol. 1)

(Stoney Lane Records) - Released: 10th January 2025

Xhosa Cole (saxophone); Steve Saunders (guitar); Josh Vadiveloo (double bass); Nathan England Jones (drums); with
Liberty Styles (tap dance 1, 2, 6, 7); Heidi Vogel (vocals 7)

'Following his much-admired debut K(no)w Them, K(no)w Us (2021), and intriguing concept recording Ibeji (2022) - featuring Cole in duets with seven percussionists from across the African diaspora, this new release captures Cole with his quartet during an extensive spring tour of the UK in 2023 playing the music of Monk. “We made the record off the back of a 38-date UK tour,” Cole explains. “It’s a snapshot from back-to-back dates in the middle of the tour playing this music - we were in a van trekking up and down the UK – St. Ives to Devon to Wales to Morecambe to Newcastle to Louth to Sheffield...!” Thelonious Monk has always had a special place in Xhosa’s heart, who first connected with his music through saxophonist Sonny Rollins. “My route to connecting to him was through Rollins, both geniuses of modern music in their own rights. Masters of melodies, riffing and spontaneity, they are kings in a dynasty of improvised music........' (album notes)

Details and Samples : Article by Howard Lawes : Listen to Come Sunday :

Norman Willmore and Corrie Dick - Norman&Corrie : Twa Double Doubles
(Bandcamp) - Released: 15th November 2024

Norman Willmore (saxophone, organ pedals, electronics); Corrie Dick (drums, percussion, drum triggers)

Corrie Dick an d Norman Willmore Twa Double Doubles album.jpg

‘405 miles later, Corrie met Norman in Glasgow. they drove a further 145 miles to Aberdeen to board the 14-hour ferry across the North Sea to the Shetland Islands, Norman’s childhood home. Three weeks were spent learning traditional tunes from people in person and from the ghosts of archival tapes. these melodies were then worked like clay from the banks of the burn, shaped into the album we present to you.
enjoy, Norman&Corrie’ (album notes)

Details and Samples : Article by Howard Lawes : Listen to West Side Bride's March :

America

The Bad Plus - Complex Emotions
(Mack Avenue Records) - Released: 8th November 2024

Reid Anderson (acoustic bass, synthesizer); Dave King (drums, synthesizer); Ben Monder (guitar); Chris Speed (tenor saxophone)

'For nearly 25 years The Bad Plus have reinvented the concept of instrumental music in mainstream culture, receiving praise from rock/indie audiences at Rolling Stone & Pitchfork to classical/jazz critics at The Los Angeles Times & The New York Times. On the coattails of their highly successful 2022 self-titled album – which sold out on vinyl prior to the album release date – founding members Reid Anderson (bass) & Dave King (drums) continue to focus on original composition with newcomers Ben Monder (guitar) & Chris Speed (saxophone) on their 16th studio recording.' (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to French Horns : Listen to Cupcakes One :

Euan Edwards - Beyond Hope And Fear
(Desafio Candente Records) - Released: 15th November 2024

Euan Edmonds (trombone); Dustin Laurenzi (tenor saxophone); Clark Gibson (alto saxophone); Paul Bedal (piano); Sam Peters (bass); Neil Hemphill (drums).

'Recently, Euan Edmonds has been writing music for the classic jazz sextet ensemble utilizing three horns, reminiscent of the front lines of the bands of Art Blakey and Wayne Shorter in the 1960s. His ensemble utilizes the less common horn combination of alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, trombone, plus a rhythm section of piano, bass, and drums. While his compositional style is rooted in the traditions of straight ahead jazz, his writing seeks to discover and incorporate different colors, sonorities, forms, and harmonies; all while still hopefully providing a memorable melody and wide open settings for improvisation. The album’s feature is a thirty minute suite titled “Beyond Hope and Fear.” The piece consists of three thematically related but contrasting compositions woven together with improvised interludes and bookended by an introduction and epilogue. The work is designed to provide great latitude to the improvisers. The suite’s opening piece, “Between Hope and Fear” relates to the (seemingly) almost perpetual human experience of hoping for the best, while simultaneously fearing the worst. ..........' (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to Jordan And Maria : Listen to Axis

Zacc Harris - Chasing Shadows
(Shifting Paradigm Records) - Released: 15th November 2024

Zacc Harris (guitar); Brandon Wozniak (tenor saxophone); Bryan Nichols (piano); Chris Bates (double bass); Pete James Johnson (drums)

'Zacc Harris's Chasing Shadows, out November 15, 2024, captures the essence of a fleeting yet decisive moment, with intricate, cinematic compositions inspired by the natural world. Following the success of Small Wonders - a DownBeat 4-star album and Best of the Year pick - Chasing Shadows showcases Harris's symbiotic quintet, blending melodic depth and harmonic complexity. It’s is a testament to the guitarist’s continued evolution as an emerging voice in contemporary jazz.' (album notes)

Details and Samples : Video trailer : Listen to Catalyst : Listen to Worlds Apart :

Tyshawn Sorey Trio - The Susceptible Now
(Pi Recordings) - Released: 11th October 2024

Aaron Diehl (piano); Harish Raghavan (bass); Tyshawn Sorey (drums).

Tyshawn Sorey Trio The Susceptible Now.jpg

'The Susceptible Now from drummer and 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winner Tyshawn Sorey covers a surprising set of some of his favourite music. Featuring his trio of Aaron Diehl on piano and Harish Raghavan on bass, the album follows on the heels of his masterful release Continuing, which was voted #4 release of 2023 by the Francis Davis Poll of over 150 jazz critics, and was hailed by The Guardian as "5-Stars: simmering with reinventions of old magic...One of the year's special sets." The release continues to expand on Sorey's ongoing partnership with Diehl, now their fourth album together. The trio presents the McCoy Tyner classic "Peresina" from his album Expansions; "A Chair in the Sky" from the Joni Mitchell album Mingus; "Bealtine" from Brad Mehldau; and "Your Good Lies," a contemporary soul song from the group Vividry. Predictably, Sorey completely deconstructs these compositions, extracting and shuffling sections of the original recordings while arranging them into elaborate forms that morph constantly and unpredictably. The program is played without breaks, magnifying its focused intensity while creating a prodigious sense of scale more akin to a tone poem than a piano trio performance. It's yet another manifestation of Sorey's profound musical wizardry.' (album notes)

Details and Sample : Listen to Peresina :

Tom Harrell - Alternate Summer
(Highnote Records) - Released: 5th September 2024

Tom Harrell (trumpet, flugelhorn); Mark Turner (tenor saxophone #1,2,3,9,10); Dayna Stephens (tenor saxophone #4,5,6,8); Luis Perdomo (piano, Hammond B3, Fender Rhodes); Charles Altura (acoustic and electric guitar #2,3,5,7); Ugonna Okegwo (bass); Adam Cruz (drums).

'Trumpet player, bandleader, composer, and arranger Tom Harrell picked up rave reviews for 2022's Oak Tree, and here he follows it up with another ambitious, hard-to-resist album, once again made up entirely of his own remarkable compositions. Harrell is highly regarded, not for playing loudly, fast, or high, but rather for his extraordinary talent at fashioning ravishingly beautiful auricular shapes with a wonderfully expressive tone and depth. He is also an exceptionally fine arranger, crafting scores embroidered with felicities of detail and an inevitability which are unique in jazz. Teamed here for the second time with Venezuelan-born pianist Luis Perdomo, featuring the tenor saxophones of Danya Stephens and Mark Turner, the guitar of Charles Altura and regular collaborators, German-Nigerian bassist Ugonna Okegwo and American drummer Adam Cruz, Harrell and his associates emphasize the diverse musical influences of the compositions with a versatility that vividly displays their common strength.' (album notes)

Details and Samples :

Europe and Elsewhere

Unionen - Unionen

(We Jazz Records) - Released: 6th December 2024

Per "Texas" Johansson (tenor saxophone, clarinet, contrabass clarinet, cor anglais, flute); Ståle Storløkken (grand piano, fender rhodes, synths); Petter Eldh (double bass, electric bass, mpc); Gard Nilssen (drums, percussion)

'Unionen is a new quartet of four star-level Norwegian and Swedish jazz musicians. The group takes its name from the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway under a common monarch 1814-1905. It's not hip to say "supergroup" but this sure is one super of a group, with each member contributing to the band sound that is unique in all the best possible ways. From misty introspection to proper rock-out-hard-jazz, Unionen is set out to blaze their own trail. Tracks such as opener "Ståhlbad" draw you in with their subtle intensity, while the "rock cut" on the album, "6983" brings forth energy that sounds very much "live". Whatever Unionen do, you can feel they've been around the block a time or two, and are not just opting for easy licks to wow the listener........' (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to 6983 : Listen to Stahlbad :

Karl Clews - And/Or
(Bandcamp) - Released: 6th December 2024

Karl Clews (guitar); Bertrand Huvé (saxophone, flute, tracks2, 4, 5, 7, 10, 12, 15); Richie Dittrich (drums track 7); Michael Barkley (trumpet, flugelhorn, tracks 7, 15)

'Karl is based in Galway on the west coast of Ireland and is currently working with various top Irish function bands, typically playing around 150 gigs per year throughout Ireland. Karl's fourth album of original bass-led material, 'And/Or', is a unique glimpse into the creative process. He explains: "When I compose, I usually start with a very simple set of chords that suggest a melody. When I'm happy with that melody, often I will then strip the original chords out and substitute a completely different sequence, creating a kind of eerie disjointedness between the melody and the chords which I find very appealing. In the process of doing this, I will often try out four or five different chord sequences or arrangements until I arrive at the one that best fits the mood I'm trying to create. Those other versions are no less 'valid' or interesting as pieces of music - they just weren't quite what I was looking for at that moment. On this album, I thought I would let the listener in on this process and offer an alternative version of each track and let them decide which they prefer".....' (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to Calico Sky : Listen to Evangeline :

Thomas Strønen - Relations

(ECM Records) - Released: 29th November 2024

Thomas Strønen (drums, percussion); Craig Taborn (piano); Chris Potter (tenor and soprano saxophone); Sinikka Langeland (voice, kantele); Jorgy Rossy (piano).

'Musical messages from Oslo, New York, Basel and Lugano – recorded between 2018 and 2022 – are juxtaposed and recombined on an absorbing recording that features Norwegian drummer Thomas Strønen solo and in a series of duets . With such partners as Craig Taborn, Chris Potter, Sinikka Langeland and Jorge Rossy, the musical frame of reference is very broad. Elements from Langeland’s’s archaic-sounding folk to Potter’s post-Coltrane saxophone and Taborn’s whirlwind modernist piano each find their place in a project that implies new threads of connectivity, new creative relationships. The album was completed and mixed by Strønen and producer Manfred Eicher at Bavaria Musikstudios in Munich in February 2023.' (album notes)

Details and Sample : Listen to Confronting Silence : Listen to Ephemeral :

Jakob Bro - Taking Turns
(ECM Records) - Released: 29th November 2024

Jakob Bro (guitar); Lee Konitz (alto and soprano saxophone); Bill Frisell (guitar); Jason Moran (piano); Thomas Morgan (bass); Andrew Cyrille (drums).

'Taking Turns, recorded in New York’s Avatar Studio a decade ago, finds Danish guitarist Jakob Bro joined by a multi-generational cast of improvisers, highly distinctive players all. Lee Konitz, Andrew Cyrille, Bill Frisell, Jason Moran and Thomas Morgan lend their energies to a session that bypasses conventions of the “all-star” band and puts the emphasis on teamwork. Bro’s space-conscious music encourages fresh responses: an atmospheric hint, or a fragment of gentle melody, opening up new trails to explore. “My compositions are about catching a glimpse of a feeling, sketching it down and then unfolding it as we record”, said Jakob Bro at the time.' (album notes)

Details and Sample : Listen to Pearl River : Listen to Black Is All Colors At Once :

Reissues

Bill Evans - Evans In Norway : The Kongsberg Concert

(Elemental Music Records) - Released: 6th December 2024

Bill Evans (piano); Eddie Gomez (bass); Marty Morell (drums)

'Elemental Music presents a never before released performance from the Bill Evans Trio in brilliant stereo sound quality. A Deluxe CD Digipack Edition, this music has been remastered at The Mastering Lab out of the original stereo tape reels from the Kongsberg Festival vaults. This concert has a legendary status among aficionados and collectors because of the high quality of the performance, and it was widely believed there was no sound record of it. The edition includes a comprehensive booklet with original and never before published photos from the actual concert as well as specially prepared essays by Zev Feldman, Marc Myers, Eddie Gomez, Marty Morell, Craig Taborn and Aaron Parks. Also included an interview of Bill Evans by Randi Hultin the day after the concert.' (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to So What : Listen to Some Other Time :

Emily Remier - Cookin' At The Queens : Live In Las Vegas 1984 & 1988

(Resonance Records) - Released: 6th December 2024

Emily Remler (guitar); Cocho Arbe (piano); Carson Smith (bass); Tom Montgomery (drums) and Emily Remler (guitar); Carson Smith (bass); John Pisci (drums)

'Cookin’ at the Queens: Live in Las Vegas (1984 & 1988) is the first release in 33 years from the unsung jazz guitar great Emily Remler, and it’s a previously unreleased collection of performances that were broadcast on KNPR Las Vegas as part of Alan Grant's "4 Queens Jazz Night from Las Vegas” weekly radio program in 1984 and 1988. Released in co-operation with the Emily Remler Estate and features quartet performances with pianist Cocho Arbe, bassist Carson Smith and drummer Tom Montgomery (1984), and trio performances with bassist Carson Smith and drummer John Pisci (1988). The deluxe package will include liner notes by acclaimed author Bill Milkowski, plus interviews and statements from many other artists who knew or were inspired by Emily Remler, such as Sheryl Bailey, Russell Malone, David Benoit, Mike Stern, Rodney Jones, Mimi Fox, Jocelyn Gould, Amanda Monaco and many, many others.' (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to Tenor Madness : Listen to Cisco :

Sun Ra - Lights On A Satellite : Live At The Left Bank

(Resonance Records) - Released: 6th December 2024

Sun Ra (piano & electric piano); June Tyson (vocals); John Gilmore (tenor saxophone & clarinet); Marshall Allen (alto saxophone, flute & piccolo); Danny Davis (alto saxophone & flute); Danny Ray Thompson (baritone saxophone & flute); Walter Miller (trumpet); Michael Ray (trumpet & vocal); Eloe Omoe (alto saxophone & bass clarinet); Craig Harris (trombone); Dale Williams (guitar); Damon Choice (vibes); Richard Williams (Radu) (acoustic & electric bass); Michael D Anderson (drums); Eddie Thomas (drums); Atakatune (congas); James Jacson (ancient infinity drum & bassoon); The Jingle Brothers (bells & percussion)

'Available for the very first time, the intergalactic icon Sun Ra and his Arkestra’s Lights On A Satellite: Live at the Left Bank was recorded on July 23, 1978 at the Famous Ballroom in Baltimore, Maryland by the Left Bank Jazz Society. The limited-edition 2-CD set contains audio from the Sun Ra Archives and was researched and compiled by Sun Ra archivist Michael D. Anderson. The critically acclaimed independent filmmaker Robert Mugge has also provided audio from the recordings he made at the Left Bank which was featured in his 1980 film Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise. The deluxe package includes liners notes by veteran music critic J.D. Considine, plus interviews with the centenarian Arkestra saxophonist Marshall Allen, NEA Jazz Master saxophonist Gary Bartz and pianist Craig Taborn.' (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to Big John's Special : Listen to Lights On A Satellite :

January 2025 Some Recent Releases

Recent Releases

Featured In January 2025

UK

America

Europe and Elsewhere

Reissues

January 2025
Some Recent Releases