Recent Releases

May 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 May 2025

UK

Georgia Mancio and Alan Broadbent - A Story Left Untold

(BL Records) - Released: 5th May 2025

Georgia Mancio (voice & lyrics); Alan Broadbent (piano & music); Andrew Cleyndert (bass); Dave Ohm (drums) and featuring FAME'S Skopje Studio Orchestra, conducted by Oleg Kondratenko (track 10)

Georgia Mancio A Story Left Untold album.jpg

'Multi-award-winning vocalist/lyricist, Georgia Mancio (Ian Shaw, Kate Williams, ReVoice! Festival), and double-Grammy-winning pianist/composer, Alan Broadbent (Natalie Cole, Charlie Haden, Pat Metheny), announce their third album of co-written songs. Masterfully blending the personal and political across duo, quartet, and orchestral settings, ‘A Story Left Untold’ unfolds in two interconnected halves, where some protagonists are given a voice while others remain silent in the shadows. It explores the delicate intersection of the “cruel and kind” (‘A Lark’s Lament’); those forces that draw us further from, and closer to, our shared humanity.' (album notes)

Details and Samples : Introductory Video : Listen to Same Old Moon : Sandy Brown Jazz Article

Janette Mason - ReWired
(JM Music) - Released: 25th April 2025

Janette Mason (piano and keyboards); Tom Mason (bass); Eric Ford (drums)

'Janette Mason has a storied career playing for multiple artists across the worlds of jazz and pop. For her latest release, ReWired, she’s selected a basket full of all the tunes that mean the most to her, from timeless standards to modern chart classics, and reworked each of them with her long-time collaborators Tom Mason on bass and Eric Ford on drums. With Janette at the helm, the original tunes’ irresistible melodic personalities are daringly expanded and reconfigured by the trio so that they delight the listener anew with the depth and sophistication of jazz while retaining the direct appeal of pop. No-one is off limits and the repertoire draws from everyone from Gary Numan and David Bowie to Kate Bush and Olivia Rodrigo, with Janette’s fierce and inventive arrangements pulling everything together. Mixing deep grooves, gutsy swing, blazing solos and unforgettable melody, this is timeless music re-wired for the present day.' (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to Cars : Article by Howard Lawes :

Fini Bearman - Last Night Of The World

(Pastiche Records) - Released: 25th April 2025

Fini Bearman (voice, tenor guitar, composition); Tom Cawley (piano, synths); Matt Calvert (electric guitar); Al Cherry (acoustic guitar); Robin Mullarkey (electric bass, acoustic guitar, track 2); James Maddren (drums, percussion); guests; George Crowley (tenor saxophone track 1); Gareth Lockrane (alto flute track 5); Gwilym Simcock (piano track 6); Alice Zawadzki (violin track 4, 6); Zosia Jagodzinska (cello tracks 4, 6)

Fini Bearman Last Night Of The World.jpg

'An eclectic collection of jazz, folk & pop-infused songs, Last Night of the World draws on Fini’s experiences of motherhood & new beginnings, of love & loss, sometimes of a new-found sense of meaning, sometimes an existential lack thereof! The record was conceived using writing exercises created for her work teaching songwriting, and these seeds grew over time, coming to fruition in tandem with her pregnancy; final vocal and instrumental takes often taking place with Bridget asleep in a sling… Inspiration for the songs is drawn from a diverse spectrum of influences: the melodic inventiveness of Madison Cunningham, the esoteric jazz/folk realms of Becca Stevens, Chris Thile, Paul Simon and the electronic, minimalist songwriting voice of Bjork. ...... ' (album notes)

Details and Sample : Listen to Rise Up : Listen to The Only One

World Sanguine Report - Songs From The Harbour
(God Unknown Records) - Released: 25th April 2025

Andrew Plummer (voice, guitar); Ruth Goller (bass, voice); Will Glaser (drum kit); Matthew Bourne (harmonium)

World Sanguine Report Songs From The Harbour.jpg

'Songs From The Harbour' is World Sanguine Report's third studio album of original avant-rock and experimental ballads. Featuring a new iteration of WSR, 'Songs From The Harbour' was created in partnership with long-standing collaborators of Andrew Plummer: Matthew Bourne, Ruth Goller, and Will Glaser. The most direct WSR album to date, 'Songs From The Harbour' is aptly named. It has a riverside redolence, both musically and lyrically. From the opening lullaby, which breaks like dawn over a dirty Thames, there’s a sense of sunlight breaking through the clouds and playing on polluted water, of bracing salty air contrasting with the stench of the quayside, a tussle of purity and toxicity, light and shade, romance and desolation. “This is the album I’ve wanted to make for more than twenty years, though the timing never felt quite right until now. With this iteration of WSR, I wanted to move away from the theatrical approach of earlier albums, focusing instead on creating music that both the band and audiences could connect with and experience in a more immediate way........ ' (album notes)

Details and Sample : Listen to She Is All :

The Simon Spillett Quartet - Up In Town
(Mr PC Records) - Released: 31st January 2025

Simon Spillett (tenor sax); Rob Barron (piano); Alec Dankworth (basss); Pete Cater (drums)

'Recorded at London’s legendary Dean Street Pizza Express here is an hour of high energy, no-nonsense straight ahead jazz featuring the UK’s very own tenor saxophone titan Simon Spillett in the company of Rob Barron (piano), Alec Dankworth (double bass) and Pete Cater (drums)' (Pete Cater)

Details and Samples : Listen to For Members Only : Listen to A Pint Of Bitter :

America

Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith - Defiant Life
(ECM Records) - Released: 21st March 2025

Vijay Iyer (piano, Fender Rhodes, electronics); Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet.)

Vijay Iyer Wadada Leo Smith Defiant Life.jpg

"This recording session was conditioned by our ongoing sorrow and outrage over the past year’s cruelties, but also by our faith in human possibility". – Vijay Iyer. 'Defiant Life, Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith’s second duo recording for ECM after 2016’s A Cosmic Rhythm With Each Stroke, is a profound meditation on the human condition, reflecting both the hardships and acts of resilience it entails. But at the same time, it also proves a testament to the duo’s unique artistic relationship and the boundless forms of musical expression it yields. For when Vijay and Wadada meet in music, they simultaneously connect on multiple levels: “Our time together, from the moment we meet right until the moment we play, is most often spent talking about the state of the world, studying histories of liberation, and sharing readings and historical references, as a means of grounding ourselves purposefully in our present.” In his liner note, Iyer has transcribed such a conversation between himself and Smith at length, revealing a closer glimpse at the individual themes that inspired the album and the term “defiant” in particular. Two of the songs on the album are dedicated to significant figures from the more and slightly less recent past – Wadada’s “Floating River Requiem” to the Congolese prime minister Patrice Lumumba, assassinated in 1961, and Vijay’s “Kite” to Palestinian writer and poet Refaat Alareer, killed in Gaza in 2023. It is within this framework of thought and reflection that their music speaks without hesitation....... (album notes)

Details : Listen to Floating River Requiem : Listen to Kite :

Nicole McCabe - A Song To Sing
(Colorfield Records) - Released: 7th March 2025

Nicole McCabe (alto sax, synthesizer, piano, percussion, vocals); Paul Cornish (piano); Logan Kane (bass); Justin Brown (drums)

'The new solo album A Song to Sing from saxophonist Nicole McCabe is only so much a saxophone album. In search of fresh melodic pathways, McCabe built most of this warped electronic jazz around on-the-spot explorations on synthesizer, piano, percussion, and clarinet. Her improvisations in producer Pete Min’s Los Angeles studio, Lucy’s Meat Market, became raw material for processing, looping, and layering grooves, often before McCabe ever touched her alto. For the talented young composer, it was an experiment in process, an “extension of myself into a different world. ”A rising force in the Los Angeles scene, McCabe’s world is ever-growing. This, her full-length debut on Colorfield Records, follows What is My Porpoise?, the latest frenzy from Dolphin Hyperspace, her beat-based duo with bassist Logan Kane, and the Jeff Parker-produced Mosaic, her fourth album as a bandleader..... (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to Passages : Listen to Driving Home Alone At Night:

Yellowjackets - Fasten Up
(Mack Avenue Records) - Released: 21st February 2025

Bob Mintzer (tenor saxophone, electric wind instrument); Russell Ferrante (keyboards); Dane Alderson (electric bass, MIDI sequencing); Will Kennedy (drums)

'With their 27th studio album, the GRAMMY® Award-winning, jazz-pioneering Yellowjackets return to redefine jazz fusion once again. Known for their genre-blending sound and impeccable musicianship, Russell Ferrante, Bob Mintzer, Dane Alderson, and Will Kennedy deliver a fresh yet timeless listening experience that’s as adventurous as ever. Fasten Up bursts with the Yellowjackets’ signature energy, featuring 11 tracks, including 10 originals and a lively cover of Ben Tucker's "Comin' Home Baby," with the standout original "The Lion" showcasing the talents of Raul Midó.' (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to Fasten Up : Listen to Swingmeister General :

Mark Turner - We Raise Them To Lift Their Heads
(Loveland Rcords) - Released: 28th February 2025

Mark Turner (tenor saxophone)

Mark Turner We Raise Them To Lift Their Heads.jpg

' ..... In a career that spans three decades and encompasses a broad array of musical ventures, tenor saxophonist Mark Turner (b. 1965) has proved himself as one of American jazz’s most original and influential musical thinkers. A New York Times profile of Turner titled “The Best Jazz Player You’ve Never Heard” called him “possibly jazz’s premier player,” noting his reputation amongst his peers and his influential stature in jazz. ....... (That) studio session is now materialized as Mark Turner’s first solo saxophone LP “We Raise Them To Lift Their Heads” on Jakob Bro’s label Loveland Music. It is as vulnerable and raw as it is powerful and something essential to Mark Turner, a document to his harmonic world and vision, which can only be conveyed through music, always finding a new way for putting the pieces together and constantly looking for new ground. He still does.' (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to Red Hook : Listen to Bella Vista :

Fred Moten & Brandon Lopez - Revision
(Tao Forms Records) - Released: 11h April 2025

Fred Moten (texts, voice); Brandon López (bass)

'The work of each of these powerfully creative & exceptionally perceptive artists concerns itself with navigating the ascending reign of long-institutionalized madness while simultaneously keeping humanity and sanity intact. Their synergistic mesh in Duo is here presented on record for the first time (following two acclaimed works on the Reading Group label in trio with Gerald Cleaver).' (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to #14 :

Europe and Elsewhere

Phil Donkin - Bring A Friend
(Klaeng Records) - Released: 8th April 2025

Phil Donkin (double bass all tracks ); James Maddren Drums all tracks except 9 ); Clara Vetter (piano 1,2,4,6,8); Felix Hauptmann (Fender Rhodes and synths 1,3,5,6,7,8); Evi Filippou (vibraphone 1,3,5,6,7,9); Theresia Philipp (alto saxophone 1,2,3,6,7,9); Jeremy Viner (tenor saxophone 1,2,4,6,8); Bastian Stein (trumpet 1,2,4,6,8)

'Imagine a bus. It's not a big bus, but it's not a small one either. It heads for stop after stop. Passengers get on and off the bus, and some return to the bus once they have got off. The constellation changes and with it the mood and voices. However, one constant remains from the beginning to the end of the journey, and that is the driver. He doesn't talk to the passengers, but his voice manifests itself via the engine, which always underlies the variable murmuring of the passengers. Above all, however, he carries all passengers safely to their destination. This is exactly how you can imagine the dramaturgy of “Bring A Friend”, the new album by Berlin-based bassist Phil Donkin. This recording was made by an octet, but the only continuous member on all tracks is Donkin himself, who has taken his place in the driver's seat and uses his massive bass to get his companions across the track. All members make their best possible contributions in the various contexts, but the topic of conversation changes with the composition of the passengers. And as in real life, the musicians sometimes come to a consensus, sometimes they argue......' (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to Upon Echo : Listen to Spinner

Marius Neset - Cabaret

(ACT Music) - Released: 28th February 2025

Marius Neset (tenor, soprano saxophones, EWI (electric wind instrument); Elliot Galvin (keyboards); Magnus Hjorth (piano); Conor Chaplin (electric bass); Anton Eger (drums & percussion)

"Cabaret" by the renowned Norwegian saxophonist and composer Marius Neset showcases a vibrant blend of global influences, virtuosity, and playful improvisation. Recorded on a remote island with his trusted collaborators (including the drummer Anton Eger), this album is a celebration of the diverse styles that have shaped Marius Neset since childhood. From intricate melodies to spontaneous solos, Neset delivers a compelling celebration of musical freedom and collaboration." (album notes).

Details and Samples : Listen to Cabaret : Listen to Quantum Dance :

Stefano Rocco Quartet - Wildlife
(self-release) - Released: 21st March 2025

Stefano Rocco (guitar); Nick Southcott (piano); Muhamed Mehmedbasic (double bass); Ed Rodrigues (drums)

'Italian-born, Sydney-based guitarist and composer Stefano Rocco presents his sophomore album, Wildlife, alongside his faithful quartet (formed in 2019), featuring pianist Nick Southcott, double bassist Muhamed Mehmedbasic, and drummer Ed Rodrigues. He describes this new body of work as ‘an expedition through the animal kingdom’, showcasing a charismatic musical aesthetic shaped by various jazz currents....' (Jazztrail). 'In this new album, I decided to use animal traits as a starting point to explore a diverse range of emotions. For me, it is an immersive expedition through wonder, mystery, tenderness, and much more. The atmospheres shift from cool and relaxed to obscure and introspective, each carrying its own unique meaning.' (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to Dreamy Koala : Listen to Is It You Chameleon? :

Michelle Nicolle - The Silent Wish

(Purple Lead Music) - Released: 7th March 2025

Michelle Nicolle (vocals); Larry Koonse (guitar)

'Michelle Nicolle is one of Australia’s most celebrated jazz performers, touring, arranging, composing & recording for the last two decades. .... Although I’ve always recorded with my Quartet in Australia, some of my most favourite albums of all time are duo records: Ella and Joe Pass, Tuck’n’Patti. When it came to planning this, my 11th album, and first U.S. release I knew I needed to record with Larry. From choosing the songs, chatting through arrangements, facing each other in the studio (with so much laughter and also tears) to the detailed mixing and mastering process this album really is the answer to the most moving line from a song, ever: (track 10) “and when you stand before the candles on a cake, oh let me be the one to hear the silent wish you make”.... (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to All The Things You Are : Listen to With A Song In My Heart :

Seungmin Jung - Anecdotes
(self release) - Released: 28th February 2025

Tal Kalman (tenor saxophone); Bomin Kim (piano); Daphnis Moglia (trumpet); Johannes Ravn (guitar); Seungmin Jung (double bass); Felix Ambach (drums).

'Seungmin Jung, a bassist and composer from South Korea, is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music. For his audacious debut album, Anecdotes, he assembles a state-of-the-art sextet whose members share a close rapport, delivering engrossing compositions layered with a genuine spell - no filters or major effects needed.....' (Jazztrail). "Writing music, for me, isn’t just about theory or craft—it’s about listening to what my heart tells me in the moment. Intuition is easy to overlook, but inspiration is always around us—in the scent of spring air, a short humming by a kid on the train, or even in a mouse darting across the subway tracks. I try to catch those moments, hold them close, and let them shape my music....) (Seungmin Jung, album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to Blue : Listen to Wasteland :

Reissues

Ethel Ennis & Ernestine Anderson - Four Classic Albums Plus

(Avid Jazz) - Released: 2025 [2 CDs]

Ethel Ennis, Ernestine Anderson (vocals) with various personnel including Ernie Royal (trumpet); Jimmy Cleveland (trombone); Benny Golson (tenor sax); Milt Hinton (bass), Kenny Clake (drums)

'AVID Jazz continues with its 'Classic Album' series with a re-mastered 2CD release from Ethel Ennis & Ernestine Anderson, complete with original artwork, liner notes and personnel details. Albums include: 'Lullabies for Losers' (Ethel Ennis), 'Change of Scenery' (Ethel Ennis), 'Have You Forgotten?' (Ethel Ennis) and 'The Fascinating Ernestine' (Ernestine Anderson), plus five bonus tracks.' (album notes)

Details

Freddie Hubbard - On Fire: Live At The Blue Morocco
(Resonance Records) - Released: 18th April 2025

Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Bennie Maupin (tenor saxophone); Kenny Barron (piano); Herbie Lewis (bass); Freddie Waits (drums)

'On Fire: Live from the Blue Morocco is a never-before-released recording of jazz trumpet icon Freddie Hubbard captured live at the Blue Morocco jazz club in The Bronx, NY in 1967 featuring Bennie Maupin, Kenny Barron, Herbie Lewis and Freddie Waits. Transferred from the original tape reels that were recorded by legendary engineer Bernard Drayton, the album download and 2-CD set includes an elaborate 32-page booklet includes liner notes by producer John Koenig; plus interviews/statements with Kenny Barron and Bennie Maupin, plus other artists who knew or were inspired by Freddie Hubbard such as Eddie Henderson, Charles Tolliver, Jeremy Pelt, Steven Bernstein and more.' (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to Up Jumped Spring : Listen to Bye Bye Blackbird :

Bill Evans - Further Ahead : Live In Finland 1964-1969

(Elemental Music) - Released: 18th April 2025

Bill Evans (piano); Chuck Israels (bass), Larry Bunker (drums); Niels-Henning Orsted Pederson (bass), Allan Dawson (drums); Eddie Gomez (bass); Marty Morell (drums).

This set of major discoveries — which will also be released in a two-CD edition on April 18 — is the 13th Evans archival package to be produced by the award-winning “Jazz Detective” Zev Feldman in cooperation with the Bill Evans Estate. Feldman says, “Evans is widely celebrated and has legions of fans all over the world, and these never-before-released recordings present yet another chapter of his musical legacy being issued for the very first time... It’s not lost on me how precious each of these Evans projects is. We take them incredibly seriously and try to present Bill Evans in the best way possible, and also create packages that people will want to come back to for many years to come. Evans is eternal. Further Ahead comprises recordings made during the keyboardist’s Scandinavian tours of the ‘60s. He is heard, at the height of his powers, in Helsinki performances in 1964 (with his working trio including bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Larry Bunker) and 1965 (supported by bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and drummer Allan Dawson, with special guest Lee Konitz), and in 1969 at Tampere (with his longest-running trio mates, bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Marty Morell)...... (album notes)

Details : More Details :

Ella Johnson - The Decca Years

(Jasmine Records) - Released: 11th April 2025

Ella John (vocals) with Buddy Johnson and his Band; Buddy Johnson and his Orchestra; and with Ella Johnson and her Orchestra

'The doyen of jazz critics, Leonard Feather praised Ella as "one of the great individualists of modern blues singing" yet the unique Ella Johnson is now largely forgotten among the bigger names of the best jazz vocalists. Recording almost entirely with her brother, Buddy Johnson's band between 1940 and 1964, in 2015 Jasmine Records issued the double CD "Rock On!" to celebrate Buddy's centenary and now present the first of two long-overdue CDs spotlighting the astonishing vocal stylings of sister Ella. This volume, covering the tenure for the American Decca label between 1941 and 1952, again includes the national chart hits such as "When My Man Comes Home" (#1, 1944), "That's The Stuff You Gotta Watch" (#2, 1945) and "I Don't Care Who Knows" (#11, 1949) along with the timeless "Since I Fell For You" and many more perfectly-crafted and hauntingly-performed recordings that have been neglected in recent years.' (album notes)

Details : Listen to Since I Fell For You from YouTube :