New Jazz Release – 10/12/2026
By Russell Perry
Gordon Goodwin
As we get back to normal after the wonderful and successful Jazz Fundraising Marathon, please remember that it is never too late to contribute. And all the programs from the 24-hour-a-day, week-long music explosion are available on our website for two weeks.
So much to report – vocalist Vanisha Gould is back with a program of original songs, tenorist JD Allen expands to a quartet, alto saxophonist Bobby Watson brings back the hard bop in a sextet, tenor saxophonist Dennis Mitcheltree brings to mind a host of great tenor players, Chicago’s Tommy Muellner integrates his piano playing into a quintet of Calligram records artists, saxophonist Doug Borgo helms a tight quartet, and Chris Whiteman & John Toomey are live from Richmond, and bandleader Gordon Goodwin is out with his last effort, released posthumously. Whew!!
Tyler Henderson – The Long Game (Cellar Music, release 10/09/2026). Tyler Henderson – piano, Caleb Tobocman – bass, Hank Allen-Barfield – drums)
Tyler Henderson was the pianist on one of my favorite debuts of 2025 – Introducing David Sneider). Henderson reprises the trio from his own 2025 debut (Love Endures, previewed 06/09/2025) and this time out has composed seven of the nine tracks. What a lovely touch this pianist has.
Vanisha Gould – What An Interesting Girl(Cellar Music, release 10/09/2026). Chris McCarthy – piano, Charlie Lincoln – bass, Samuel Bolduc – drums, Vanisha Gould – vocals.
Vocalist Vanisha Gould (She’s Not Shiny, She’s Not Smooth, previewed 11/18/2024) is back with her third release, again in the company of her steady collaborator pianist Chris McCarthy leading a relaxed trio. As with the last release, three things stand out – Gould’s intimate and lyrical storytelling (all songs are hers), her expressive singing and McCarthy’s totally connected accompaniment. Recommended.
Review: Paris Move
Milky Way – Milky Way (Art of Groove, release 10/09/2026). Randy Becker – trumpet, Christoph Spendel – synthesizer / piano, Michael Urbaniak – lyricon / tenor saxophone / soprano saxophone / violin / vocal, Mathews Radziejewski – guitar, Ray Gomez – guitar, Victor Bailey – bass, Lenny White – drums / percussion, Nicki Richards – vocals / guitar, Urszula Dudziak – vocals.
Recorded in 1989 and quickly forgotten, this smooth jazz / fusion affair is the brainchild of violinist Michael Urbaniak and headlines trumpetercRandy Brecker. Now it has been reissued.
Shai Jaschek – Portrait (Jazz Bird Records, release 10/09/2026). Shai Jaschek – guitar, Joe Martin – bass, Kush Abadey – drums.
Israel-born, New York-based guitarist Shai Jaschek has released his second disc, a clean, intimate and quiet trio affair. More than a little Wes Montgomery in the house.
Review: Paris Move, Papatamus Redux
Karate Boogaloo – Access All Areas (Colemine, release 10/09/2026). Callum Riley – organ / keyboards, David Thor – guitar, Henry Jenkins – bass, Hudson Whitlock – drums.
Tightly aligned with the Columbine Records sound, the Australian organ – guitar quartet Karate Boogaloo rolls out the funk and groove on their sophomore release. More Meters / MGs, less Joey DeFrancesco / Jimmy Smith.
Review: The Fire Note
Jerry Z – Break Allegro (Drawbreak Records, release 10/09/2026). Chad LB (Lefkowitz-Brown) – tenor saxophone, Jerry Z (Zaslavsky) – Hammond B3, Oz Noy – guitar with Mike Clark – drums, Lenny White – drums, Joe Dyson – drums, Daniel Sadownick – percussion.
Hammond B3 player Jerry Z captures beautifully the vintage tenor – B3 – guitar – drums sound with an added boost of percussion. The highlight for these ears is versatile tenor saxophonist Chad LB (The Shadow Of Your Smile, previewed 11/25/2025).
Review: Jazz Weekly, Paris Move, Exclusive Magazine
JD Allen – SÖWT (Savant Records, release 10/05/2026). JD Allen – tenor saxophone, Leonardo Montana – piano, Hamza Souissi – electric bass, Ruy Adrian Lopez-Nussa – drums, Yazid El Alaoui – guembri / vocals.
In October of last year, our good friends at the Charlottesville Jazz Society (if you aren’t yet a member, go here) brought saxophonist JD Allen to town, as he toured with his long-standing trio behind his last record (Love Letters, The Ballad Sessions, previewed 10/06/2025). Three months later, he was in Rabat, Morocco recording with new musicians and diving deeply into the culture of Gwana music, famously promoted by centenarian Randy Weston seventy years ago. Allen’s big tone and musical searching are still front and center, but there is a hypnotic pulse and spiritual depth that informs this music in new ways. The results are very satisfying – some of his best art. Highly recommended.
Review: Marlbank
Bobby Watson – Continuum (High Note Records, release 10/05/2026). Wallace Roney Jr – trumpet, Kysen Ellis – trombone, Bobby Watson – alto saxophone, Jordan Williams – piano, Curtis Lundy – bass, Victor “Yahya” Jones – drums.
For almost fifty years, starting with his tenure as Music Director of the Jazz Messengers (1977 – 1981), Bobby Watson has been one of the best alto saxophonists on the scene. Hard bop lives in this three-horn sextet date. Bassist Curtis Lundy is back from Watson’s most recent (Back Home In Kansas City, 2022), but the rest of the ensemble has changed although drummer Victor Jones and Watson go way back. Driving, swinging and recommended.
Dennis Mitcheltree – Seeing Red (Dengor Music, release 10/02/2026). Dennis Mitcheltree – tenor saxophone, Johannes Wallmann – piano, Jesse Crawford – bass, Bill McClellan – drums.
Brilliant saxophonist Dennis Mitcheltree was in a duo with pianist Johannes Wallman last time out (Holding Space, preview 01/27/2025) and the two are back in a quartet this time. Abe Goldstein wrote perceptively, “… Mitcheltree blends the lyricism of Stan Getz, the contemplative mood of John Coltrane, and the blues-infected warmth of Charlie Rouse.” That’s a lot! Spiritual, tender, driving, swinging – these eight original compositions have it all. Highly recommended.
Review: Paris Move, Papatamus Redux
Phil Haynes 2Horns & What – Avant Modern (Corner Store Jazz, release 10/02/2026). Nate Wooley – trumpet, Peyton Pleninger – saxophone, Phil Haynes – drums.
Phil Haynes 2Horns & What – Jazz Now (Corner Store Jazz, release 10/02/2026). Jonathan Ragonese – saxophone, Peyton Pleninger – saxophone, Phil Haynes – drums.
Drummer Phill Haynes continues to push the boundaries of creative music with two new trio releases, one with trumpet and sax and the other with two saxophones. Adventurous.
Review: Paris Move
Tommy Muellner – Solitary Moon (Calligram Records, release 10/02/2026). Art Davis – trumpet / flugelhorn, Geof Bradfield – reeds / flute, Tommy Muellner – piano, Clark Sommers – bass, Phil Gratteau – drums.
Calligram Records continues to give voice to talented, but undersung, Chicago artists and the latest such player is pianist Tommy Muellner, who has not released a set as a leader since 1998. Not surprisingly, Calligram mainstays multi-reedist Geof Bradfield (Open Or Close, previewed 09/14/2926) and bassist Clark Sommers (WaBaSH, previewed 08/03/2026) anchor this fine mainstream effort. A lot of composer credits populate this set with three by the leader and eight from various corners of the Great American Songbook. This release may call Bill Evans to mind, as he is a major influence on the leader. Recommended.
Review: Paris Move, AllAboutJazz
Satoko Fujii Orchestra Nagoya – Korekara (Libra Records, release 10/02/2026). Tsutomu Watanabe, Takahiro Tsujita, Misaki Ishiwata, Natsuki Tamura – trumpet Toshinori Terukina, Tatsuki Nakamura, Toshihiro Koike – trombone, Shingo Takeda, Ryoko Ono – alto sax, Takuya Matsumoto, Yoshiyuki Hirao – tenor sax, Daion Kobayashi – baritone sax, Satoko Fujii – piano, Yasuhiro Usui – guitar, Toru Kasai – bass, Hisamine Kondo – drums.
This is the fourth of five 2026 orchestra releases for Japanese pianist / composer Satoko Fujii. Considered by some the Duke Ellington of free jazz, Satoko’s music can be dense (perhaps impenetrable) or loose and playful.
Review: Paris Move, Jazz Views, Papatamus Redux
Brandon Seabrook – Utility Modern (Out of Your Head Records, 10/02/2026). Brandon Seabrook – electric guitar / acoustic guitar / banjo, Bill Frisell – electric guitar / acoustic guitar, Rashaan Carter – bass, Marcus Gilmore – drums.
There is nothing “normal” about guitarist / banjoist Brandon Seabrook and this experimental set validates that statement. Even with Americana-rich guitar god Bill Frisell in tow, this release remains uncompromising and surprising.
Review: Treble, Everything Is Noise
Doug Borgo – Panta Rhei (Borgoriginals, release 10/01/2026). David Borgo – tenor saxophone / soprano saxophones / gaita chuana / Irish low whistle, Josh Nelson – piano, Luca Alemanno – double bass, Dan Schnelle – drums.
Multi-reedist Doug Borgo and his straight up quartet have released a lovely record with beautiful, impassioned playing from the leader and ace pianist Josh Nelson (Chris Wabich, Marina Pacowskui, Jeffrey Gimbel). This is the first I have heard from Borgo since his 2003 release Massanetta Springs which features Charlottesville artists trumpeter John D’earth and bassist Pete Spaar. I note that there have been many releases in the meanwhile, I just missed them. Recommended.
Adonis Rose – Live at JazzAscona (Cold Plunge, release 09/25/2026). Ashlin Parker – trumpet, Rex Gregory – alto saxophone, Miles Berry – tenor saxophone, Seth Finch – piano, Max Moran – bass, Adonis Rose – drums with Phillip Manuel – vocals.
Drummer Adonis Rose, the director of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, directs a three-horn sextet this time with vocalist Philip Manuel on half the selections making it a septet. Rose is the latest artist to mine the ever-deepening well of jazzy compositions by Michigan composer Gregg Hill, with four Hill compositions performed adjacent to those of Jarrett and Strayhorn. Rose has changed up the front line but uses the same rhythm section as on his previous release with Manuel (Unusual Suspects with Phillip Manuel, previewed 03/09/2026).
Event Horizon Jazz Quartet – Consternation (Self Produced, release 09/25/2026). Jim Kaczmarek – tenor saxophone / soprano saxophone, Scott Mertens – piano / keyboards, Donn DeSanto – acoustic bass, Rick Vitek – drums / percussion with Victor Garcia – trumpet, Raphael Crawford – trombone.
The sophomore release from the Event Horizon Jazz Quartet follows a gap of six years since their debut. This straight ahead set of tunes written either by saxophonist Jim Kaczmarek or pianist Scott Merkens ranges from funky to cerebral.
Review: JW VIbe
Zuri Alexander – Hear Me (Deniscott Music, release 08/07/2026). Hiro Morozumi – piano, Jeffery Littleton – bass, Jimmy Ford – drums, Zuri Alexander – vocals with Louis Van Taylor – tenor saxophone / alto saxophone, Mitchell Long – guitar.
Vocalist Zuri Alexander has brought us a tasteful set with a piano – bass – drums trio supplemented by saxophones on four of the tracks. Six of the eight tunes were written by producer Audrey Denise Kelley.
Chris Whiteman & John Toomey Quartet – Live At Reveler (Self Produced, release 08/2026). John Toomey – piano, Chris Whiteman – guitar, Randall Pharr – bass, Aaron Binder – drums.
As far as I know, this is the first release recorded live at Richmond’s Révéler jazz venue and it features a quartet of players familiar to the Central Virginia scene – pianist John Toomey (Glenn Wilson, John Fedchock), guitarist Chris Whiteman (Robert Jospé, Veronica Swift, Royce Campbell), bassist Randall Pharr (Ali Webb, Tyler Burkhardt, Bobby Read), drummer Aaron Binder (Fortune Smiles on Aaron Binder – 2000, Bang The Drum Quickly – 2006). The program features two Whiteman originals along with classics of the modern jazz repertoire (Wayne Shorter, Monk, Jobim) and standards (Jimmy Van Heusen, Victor Young, Jerome Kern). Both Whiteman and Toomey are featured voices in the quartet, swinging hard. Recommended.
Review: Exclusive Magazine
Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band – 25 Years of Phatness (GoodGunn Creative, release 07/31/2026). Featuring Wayne Bergeron – trumpet, Aaron Janik – flugelhorn, Andy Martin – trombone, Anibal Seminario – clarinet, Danny Kaneyuki – alto saxophone / soprano saxophone, Brian Scanlon – tenor saxophone, Gordon Goodwin – piano / tenor saxophone, Andy Waddell – guitar, Brian Kilgore – timpani / xylophone / percussion, Ray Brinker – drums, Joey DeLeon – percussion, Vangie Gunn-Goodwin – vocals, Danny Loucks – vocals, Fletcher Sheridan – vocals, Alvin Chea – vocals with Herb Albert – trumpet.
Three weeks shy of his 71st birthday, composer / arranger / bandleader and Grammy winner Gordon Goodwin (The Gordon Knot, 2019) passed away on 12/09/2025, but not before laying down the tracks for this set. With eight new originals and three revisited classics from the catalog, Goodwin leads his hugely talented LA big band – The Big Phat Band – through one final recording. As always, the band’s music is deeply swinging and cinematic with touches of film noir and joyful funk. And Herb Albert guests on Goodwin’s arrangement of his hit A Taste of Honey. Recommended.
Review: JW Vibe
This time of year brings a ton of new releases!
Russell Perry
Jazz at 100 Now!
If your music isn’t changing your life, you’ve simply picked the wrong songs. – Ted Gioia
