April 2026
Some Recent Releases
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:
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I receive so many requests to review recordings it is impossible to include them all.
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Unlike some publications/blogs, Sandy Brown Jazz is not a funded website and it is not possible to pay reviewers.
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Reviews tend to be personal opinions, something a reviewer likes might not suit you, or vice versa.
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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.
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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 April 2026
UK
Aleph Aguiar - Sugar On My Blackbeans
(Aleph Aguiar Records) - Released: 15th February 2026
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Aleph Aguir (guitar); Quentin Collins (trumpet); Liam Dunachie (Hammond organ); Will Fry (percussion); Shane Forbes (drums).
'Venezuelan-born, UK-based guitarist Aleph Aguiar returns with Sugar on my Blackbeans, his third release and a nostalgic yet modern take on the lively, swinging Latin jazz of the 1960s. Across nine original compositions, Aguiar pays tribute to one of his favourite musical eras, when artists were boldly experimenting with Latin American rhythms and percussion. Recorded live to tape over just two days, the album captures the spontaneity and energy of Aguiar's quintet which features leading British musicians Quentin Collins (trumpet), Liam Dunachie (Hammond organ), Will Fry (percussion) and Shane Forbes (drums). Aguiar's choice of instrumentation - trumpet and Hammond organ rather than the typical saxophone-and-piano combination - draws inspiration from guitar greats such as Wes Montgomery and Pat Martino. For Aguiar, the trumpet's timbre is central to Latin American musical traditions and pairs naturally with the guitar's phrasing, while the Hammond organ offers harmonic space and flexibility that enhance the guitar's range and bring added depth to the ensemble's sound. The album's title is a playful nod to his Venezuelan heritage - black beans are a South American staple, but only in Venezuela are they often topped with sugar. .....' (album notes)
Neil Cowley Trio - Built On Bach
(Hide Inside Records) - Released: 8th April 2026
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Neil Cowley (piano); Rex Horan (bass); Evan Jenkins (drums)
'One summer's afternoon in 2023 whilst dawdling about Leipzig in Germany, I found myself in St Thomas's Church, where Bach spent a large part of his working life. Despite this, I wasn’t prepared to casually look down at my feet and almost step on the great mans gravestone, lying flush to the ground next to the altar. Scores of memories flashed before my mind. all underscored by the great man and my involvement with his music.....Perhaps it was in that moment that I vowed to pay this influence some homage. And so that is now manifest in the collection of new compositions you hear on this record, all based loosely on the works of JS Bach, but styled and moulded to sound like the Neil Cowley Trio..... (Neil Cowley : album notes)
Yetii - Inner Worlds
(self release) - Released: May 2026
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Alex Veitch (piano); Ashley John Long (bass); Alex Goodyear (drums)
"Inner Worlds” is about what goes on beneath the surface. Each composition immerses the listener in a different experience or state of mind. Singing melodies open and shift to reveal their inner workings. Solos morph into group improvisations: a shared single voice that ebbs and flows between and within the band’s original compositions. The album is a distillation and documentation of the sound we have formed over time at our monthly residency in Bristol over the last 4 years. It’s been a big year in the world of Yetii. We played their concert hall debut to a sold out 400-strong crowd at St. George’s in Bristol, supported The Bad Plus on their recent UK tour, and have sold out each of their monthly gigs at The Greenbank in Bristol, including collaborations with Parliamentary Award winner Arun Ghosh, “Get the Blessing”’s Jake McMurchie, and, most recently, Edition’s Ant Law." (album notes)
Louise Balkwell - Chatterbox
(Chatterbox Music) - Released: 26th February 2026
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Louise Balkwill (vocals); Jonathan Bauer (trumpet); Rob Barron (piano); Theo Malka-Wishart (bass); Josh Walker-Martin (drums); Ross Stanley (organ tracks 2 & 6)
'A vibrant love letter to the golden age of vocal jazz, Chatterbox is a dazzling collection of original vocalese, sparkling new compositions, and fresh interpretations of beloved standards. With her trademark wit, warmth, and soul, Louise invites listeners into a world where storytelling and swing collide - where the laughter, heartbreak, and sass of classic jazz meet a bold, modern spirit......From cheeky originals like Come Over Here and Treat Me Right to deeply personal reimaginings like You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To (the winning performance that earned Louise her Riga Jazz Stage title), Chatterbox is an album that celebrates both the roots and the future of vocal jazz.....' (album notes)
Kevin Figes - Wallpaper Music III
(Pig Records) - Released: 10th April 2026
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Kevin Figes (woodwind, voice, composition, lyrics); Brigitte Beraha (voice); Jim Blomfield (piano, Fender Rhodes, Hammond and Prophet); Ashley John Long (electric and double bass); Mark Whitlam (drums, percussion)
"Multi-instrumentalist, composer and educator Kevin Figes announces Wallpaper Music III, a nine-track album of original compositions. The album presents a distinctive artistic statement built around song, texture and collective exploration. Opening tracks such as ‘Fair Weather’ and ‘The Big Flood’ draw on the oblique lyricism of Henry Cow and the surreal songcraft of Robert Wyatt, with Beraha’s voice at the centre of a sound world shaped by analogue radio collage and drifting, delayed saxophone lines. Punk-inflected rhythms emerge on ‘Modern Times’, while the reflective ‘Into the Woods’ blends lyrical song with collective improvisation, highlighting the ensemble’s dynamic range. Across the album, tightly composed material sits alongside free improvisation, cinematic writing and storytelling......" (album notes)
America
Pat Metheny - Side-Eye III+
(Uniquity Music) - Released: 27th February 2026
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Pat Metheny (guitars, composer); Chris Fishman (piano, keyboards) Joe Dyson (drums); Daryl Johns, Jermaine Paul (bass);
Brandee Younger (harp); Luis Conte (percussion); Mark Kibble (vocals, leading vocal ensemble)
'Right from the first bar of “In On It” it’s clear we’re listening to Pat Metheny, and an album with clear affinities to the Pat Metheny Group. No wonder it’s the opening track and was chosen as the first single from the album. That sound, it’s unmistakable: the soaring guitar lyricism, the sense of joy, the jazz/rock/Brazilian flavours, and nearly always lots going on: especially on this album, which features a trio augmented (hence the plus sign) by fifteen additional musicians. It’s the second recording of Metheny’s Side-Eye, a project designed to showcase an evolving selection of new jazz talent..... This time round it’s a studio recording and the trio is Metheny with Chris Fishman on keyboards and Joe Dyson on drums – plus Daryl Johns (bass), Brandee Younger (harp), Luis Conte (percussion), and a vocal ensemble led by Mark Kibble, a tenor singer in the Grammy-winning a cappella gospel sextet Take 6......' (album notes)
Bill Frisell - In My Dreams
(Blue Note Records) - Released: 31st March 2026
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Bill Frisell (acoustic and electric guitars); Jenny Scheinman, Eyvind Kang (violin); Hank Roberts (cello); Thomas Morgan (bass); Rudy Royston (drums).
'Bill Frisell’s In My Dreams is a family reunion of sorts, which brings some of the acclaimed guitarist’s closest friends together into a unique sextet featuring Jenny Scheinman on violin, Eyvind Kang on viola, Hank Roberts on cello, Thomas Morgan on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums. Their deep musical history goes back decades, though never before in this particular configuration, and together they travel wide expanses of American music including Frisell originals as well as Jazz and Americana staples. Produced by Lee Townsend, the album will be released as part of Frisell’s 75th birthday celebrations.' (album notes)
Parlor Greens - Emeralds
(Colemine Records) - Released: 10th April 2026
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​Adam Scone (organ); Jimmy James (guitar); Tim Carmen (drums)
'Emeralds finds the trio serving up a beautifully curated sampler of what funky organ music can be. On Parlor Greens’ debut In Green We Dream, they announced their existence boldly to the welcoming arms of funky instrumental fans around the world. Now, two years later, they’re back to up the ante. Three true masters of their respective crafts: Tim Carman (Canyon Lights, formerly of GA-20) on drums, Jimmy James (True Loves) on guitar, and Adam Scone (Scone Cash Players, The Sugarman 3) on organ. Seasoned and soulful pros coming together to make infectiously funky instrumental jams. Parlor Greens are truly in top form: tour tight and more confident than ever in who they are and where they’re going. The album’s opener, “Eat Your Greens,” kicks the doors off with a Charles Earland-inspired four on the floor beat, with Jimmy and Scone driving the tune down the tracks like an overloaded freight train, it simply cannot be stopped. .....' (album notes)
Kathy Ingraham - Jazz Dreams
(Peirdon Records) - Released: 15th March 2026
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Kathy Ingraham (vocals); Pete Levin (piano/synth, arrangements); Randy Brecker (flugelhorn); Joel Rosenblatt (drums); Elliott Randall (guitar); Matt Wensor (guitar); Evan Christopher (clarinet); William Galison (harmonica); Lily Del Rosso (vocals)
'As for the genesis of Jazz Dreams, Ingraham was stimulated by two events. First, she watched an old film, 1943’s Heavenly Music, which won the 1944 Academy Award for best short film. “That was the first seed to take songs to demonstrate the film’s theory that a great melody can transcend the genre for which it was originally created,” Ingraham says. “The next experience was when I watched a show that celebrated Howard Stern’s birthday party in 2014 where Aerosmith’s leader Steven Tyler played a great version of their hit ‘Dream On’ on piano. I felt a little spark. He sang a jazz riff in the middle of the song. I thought maybe I could do the same with it. That led to the whole notion of doing contemporary songs with a jazz slant.” (album notes)
Horizon Trio - Oscilla
(Self Release) - Released: 26th March 2026
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​Garrett Folger (trumpet, flugelhorn); Anthony Fuoco (piano); Carmen Castaldi (drums, percussion).
Ohio-based trumpeter and composer Garrett Folger reunites his Horizon Trio - with Anthony Fuoco on piano and Carmen Castaldi on drums - for Oscilla, a live album captured at the Treelawn Music Hall, a former Slovenian workmen’s home turned music venue. ....... “Torrent” establishes a constructive dialogue between Folger and Fuoco, showcasing the former’s impressive range and the latter’s eurythmic piano streams, before swelling to epic proportions and dissolving into a diffuse cloud. While “Pour de Prunes” invites us into pure spontaneous balladry - its interplay revealing more dynamism than initially apparent - “Parfums” brings the program to a close in a delicate dance, launched by a 4/4 piano ostinato and featuring Folger’s multiple riffs over Fuoco and Castaldi’s solid harmonic and rhythmic frameworks. Horizon Trio plays with an optimal sense of space and texture, conquering the ear with crisp, elegant brushstrokes that reflect the musicians’ authentic voices. Both the individual contributions and the collective whole offer something to explore and absorb. (JazzTrail)
Europe and Elsewhere
Karsten Vogel - Late Night Ballads
(Storyville Records) - Released: 20th February 2026
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Karsten Vogel (saxophone); Mads Søndergaard (piano); Peter Hansen (bass); Klaus Menzer (drums)
'With a career spanning more than six decades, Danish saxophonist Karsten Vogel is one of the true veterans of Scandinavian music. On his new album Late Night Ballads, recorded with pianist Mads Søndergaard, bassist Peter Hansen and drummer Klaus Menzer, Vogel turns his focus inward, returning to the core of his jazz roots with a deeply reflective and intimate recording. On Late Night Ballads, Vogel interprets seven classic ballads from the American songbook alongside one original composition. Late Night Ballads unfolds in the quieter hours, offering music that is atmospheric, lyrical, and deeply contemplative. It can serve as a gentle soundtrack to an evening gathering, but it also rewards close listening, revealing subtle musical details and a beautifully balanced sound......' (album notes)
Peter Beets - Blues Goes To Spain
(Magic Ball Jazz Records - Released: 20th February 2026
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Peter Beets (piano); Ian Cleaver (trimpet); Nate Jones (trombone); Gideon Tazelaar (tenor sax); Reuben Rogers (double bass); Willie Jones III (drums)
'Peter Beets’ latest recording announces itself with unbridled authority: a vivid, hard-swinging statement, powered by a first-rate horn section anchored by three standout American voices of the new jazz vanguard, and propelled by a rhythm section of luminaries including Reuben Rogers and Willie Jones III - artists whose résumés include collaborations with legends such as Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves, and Roy Hargrove. Under Beets’ assured direction, his New York Sextet shapes each work with commanding finesse. In reimagining a canon of Spanish compositions, Beets refracts Spain’s musical heritage through a fresh and strikingly modern jazz lens. The album surges with vitality, its swing taut and irresistible. While echoes of the flamenco idiom surface throughout, they are situated within a broader, architecturally ambitious musical landscape built upon works by Spain’s most esteemed composers.......Beets and his ensemble weave these traditions into a seamless dialogue with uncompromising, straight-ahead jazz, executed at the highest artistic level. The result is a singular fusion of virtuosity, cultural depth, and ensemble brilliance. Once again, pure Peter Beets.' (album notes)
Marilyn Crispell / Anders Jarmin - Memento
(ECM Records) - Released: 20th March 2026
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Marilyn Crispell (piano); Anders Jormin (acoustic bass).
'Although their association goes back many years, Memento – an album of lyrical and subtle music making – Is the first duo recording by Marilyn Crispell and Anders Jormin. At ECM, US pianist Crispell previously appeared on Jormin’s cycle of sacred songs, In Winds, In Light (2004), and she has credited the Swedish bassist as an influence on her own musical thinking: “When I heard Anders playing, it touched a chord in me that resonated strongly.” Memento begins with a powerful sequence of space-conscious duo improvisations before moving to compositions by each of the players. “Three Shades of a House” is a piece that Jormin has featured in his work with Bobo Stenson (see the album Contra la indecisión), here played in “Morning” and “Evening” variations – the first a pellucid exploration of the theme with Crispell to the fore, the second a meditation for dark-toned bass. Crispell’s “The Beach at Newquay” sketches the coast of Cornwall, with Jormin’s high pitched arco bass evoking seagull cries. The album concludes with “Dragonfly”, dedicated to the memory of Gary Peacock. Throughout, the musicians respond to the sensitive and detail-heightening acoustics of Lugano’s Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, in this album produced by Manfred Eicher in July 2025. ' (album notes)
Espen Berg - The Kempen Concert
(Kite Records) - Released: 6th October 2025
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Espen Berg (piano)
'Norwegian pianist and composer Espen Berg, a celebrated Steinway Artist praised worldwide for his fearless improvisation and lyrical voice, announces the release of his new solo piano album, The Kempen Concert. Recorded live at Paterskirche in Kempen, Germany on November 8, 2024, the performance is fully improvised - each note born in the moment, never to be played again - echoing the legacy of Keith Jarrett while carving out Berg’s own distinct narrative. “As for this specific venue with its spacious and reverberant hall and beautiful Steinway D grand piano, I could easily fill the room with just a few notes and let myself immerse in the sound. It was the perfectset-up for a colorful, lyrical, playful and magnificent performance ..... '(album notes / Espen Berg)
Reissues
Bob Brookmeyer - The Brookmeyer Bands - Early Years 1954-1956
(Acrobat Records) - Released: 2025 [2 CDs]
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Bob Brookmeyer (valve trombone, arranger) with various personnel including Al Cohn (tenor sax); Jimmy Rowles (piano); Red Mitchell (bass) and others
'Bob Brookmeyer, born in 1929, was a jazz trombonist, a renowned exponent of the valve trombone, who came to the fore during the 1950s with the Claude Thornhill Orchestra and in the Stan Getz group, before starting his career leading his own bands, as well as playing with the likes of Gerry Mulligan, Clark Terry and others. His compositional style drew on contemporary classical writing, incorporating atonality, chromatic harmony and other techniques to develop distinctive themes and structures. This 32-track 2-CD set comprises the titles from several of his early albums, on which he is leader, co-leader or featured perfomer. They comprise “Teddy Charles New Direction Quartet feat. Bob Brookmeyer” on Prestige (later released on the Prestige LP “The Dual Role Of Bob Brookmeyer”), “Bob Brookmeyer Featuring Al Cohn” on Storyville, “The Bob Brookmeyer Quartet” on Pacific Jazz, “Bob Brookmeyer Plays Bob Brookmeyer” on Clef and “The Bob Brookmeyer Quintet” on Prestige (also part of “The Dual Role Of Bob Brookmeyer”). ....... Capturing him in the early years of his career, it’s an enlightening introduction his music and an enjoyable showcase for distinctive style of playing and composing. (album notes)
Dexter Gordon - More Than You Know
(GleAM Records) - Released: 17th November 2025 ​
Dexter Gordon (tenor saxophone); Kirk Lightsey (piano); David Eubanks (bass); Edward Gladden (drums)
'This inaugural title features an unreleased live recording by one of the true legends of jazz history—The Sophisticated Giant, tenor saxophone master Dexter Gordon, performing with his early-’80s quartet: Kirk Lightsey on piano, David Eubanks on bass, and Edward Gladden on drums. The concert was recorded in Genoa, Italy, in 1981, at Villa Imperiale, during the Festival Estate Jazz 81. “This recording captures more than just an exceptional performance—it documents the kind of serious artistic statement that becomes possible when musicians know their work will be heard and appreciated at its true level of sophistication.(..)The “More Than You Know” recording stands as permanent testimony to the profound relationship between Dexter Gordon and the devoted Jazz community in Italy. It preserves a moment when Jazz had achieved true international status while maintaining its essential character as an art form based on individual expression within collective interaction.” (album notes / Maxine Gordon)
Patti Page - I'm Yours
Jasmine Records) - Released: 12th February 2026
Patti Page (vocals) with various personnel including Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton and others.
'Patti Page recorded more than 1,000 songs during her seven-decade career, but gathered here for the first time are 32 classics that she never performed in a studio, taken from live television appearances spanning the years 1952-1962. Among them are such rarities as "The Man That Got Away", "Wish You Were Here", "The Wayward Wind", “Oh, Lady Be Good", "How High the Moon", "Fever", "Something Wonderful", "Misty", and "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues". She is also joined by a slew of great guest stars including Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Jo Stafford, Johnnie Ray, Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton, and Illinois Jacquet. It's a musical feast showcasing Patti's enormous versatility, and all restored in glorious digital sound.' (album notes)
Gene Ammons - Meet The Boss : Singles and Albums Collection 1950-53
(Acrobat Records) - Released: 2026 [2 CDs]
Gene Ammons (tenor sax) with various musicians.
Gene Ammons, often known as “The Boss” was a jazz tenor saxophonist who was the son of the highly successful and influential boogie- woogie pianist of the 1930s and ‘40s, Albert Ammons. Gene’s music was characterised by being a highly accessible and straightforward style of jazz, redolent with influences from blues, R&B and soul, bringing him hits in the US R&B chart, although he embraced the innovations of bebop and integrated its techniques into his distinctive approach. He was very much a part of the soul jazz movement of the ‘60s which introduced the electric organ into the instrumentation. This 49-track 2-CD collection comprises recordings from sessions in the early 1950s at the dawn of the vinyl LP era. It features recordings with Sonny Stitt, Bill Massey, Jo Jones, Duke Jordan, Tommy Potter, Art Blakey, Matthew Gee, Charles Bateman, Eugene Wright, Wesley Landers, Junior Mance, Clarence Anderson, Teddy Stewart, J.J. Johnson and others. It’s a great showcase for the trademark tone and texture of his playing, and an entertaining musical snapshot of his music during a key era of his career.' (album notes)
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