New Jazz Releases – 01/13/2025
By Russell Perry

Stephane Wrembel
As the new year gets rolling and the holidays are behind us, this year’s new jazz releases are starting to come in and they are a diverse bunch. Stephane Wrembel and Jean-Michel Pilc have an epic three-disc release that is based in Django Reinhardt grooves, but goes further.Claire Martin expands on the Great American Songbook by covering recent pop tunes. Scott Hamilton creates comfort food for your ears. And a quintet of Charlottesville players fronted by Michelle Montserrat Oliva and John D’earth has released a fine set of freely improvised tracks.
Jae Sennett – The Blur The Lines Project (Self Produced, released 01/06/2024). Ada Rovatti – tenor saxophone, Allen Farnham – Hammond B3 Organ / piano, Jason Cale – guitar, Terry Burrell – bass, Jae Sinnett – drums / vocals.
Tidewater-based drummer Jae Sinnett (Commitment, previewed 04/24/2023) has recorded a set of classic rock tunes (Magic Carpet Ride, Immigrant Song, etc.) with a tenor – B3 – guitar – bass – drums quintet that forcefully asserts that there is life left in jazz-rock fusion.
Review: The JW Vibe, Skope Magazine
Rick Roe – Tribute: The Music of Gregg Hill (Cold Plunge Records, released 01/03/2025). Rick Roe – piano, Robert Hurst – bass, Nate Winn – drums.
Pianist Rick Roe (Aguankó, Randy Napoleon, Leslie DeShazor) is the latest musician (after Randy Napoleon, Michael Dease, Rodney Whitaker, Ben Rosenbaum, TechnoCats) to feature the work of Michigan composer Gregg Hill. This piano trio set is a sparkling affair with nine Hill compositions that have not yet been recorded, along with three that have appeared on other discs in the past few years.
Review: Paris Move
Brent Laidler – Hidden Gems (BEL Records, released 01/03/2025). Mark Buselli – trumpet / flugelhorn, Ned Boyd – alto saxophone / flute, Brent Laidler – guitar, Jamie Newman – organ, Scott Pazara – bass, Richard Floyd – drums.
Indiana-based guitarist Brent Laidler has assembled a band of top mid-western players for a set of originals based on chord progressions from lesser known standards. The guitar – organ (Jamie Newman) pairing dominates the proceedings with solid contributions from Mark Buselli on trumpet (The Gennett Suite, previewed 06/12/2023) and Ned Boyd on alto and flute. Swinging mainstream jazz.
Reviews: Paris Move, JW Vibe, Making a Scene
Tomás Martín López – Right Here (Bongotoms Music, released 01/03/2025). Ivan Renta – tenor saxophone, Bill O’Connell – piano, Chien Chien Lu – vibraphone, Michael Vinas – bass, Tomás Martín López – percussion, with Carlo Lopez – congas, John Belzaguy – bass
Percussionist Tomás Martín López brings Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian grooves to a well-played set featuring Latin Jazz all-stars pianist Bill O’Connell (Live In Montauk, previewed 07/17/2023, Conrad Herwig, Santi Debriani) and tenor saxophonist Ivan Renta (Doug Beavers, Arturo O’Farrill, Eddie Palmer). The magic comes from the inclusion of vibraphonist Chien Chien Lu whose shimmering presence separates this release from many other Latin dates. Recommended.
Review: Paris Move
Michelle Montserrat Oliva – Vanishing Point (Self Produced, released 01/01/2025). John D’earth – trumpet / flutes, M. Montserrat Oliva – bass clarinet, M. Brett Jones – electric guitar, Jono Stewart – bass, Daniel Richardson – drums.
A Charlottesville-based quintet of creative musicians has released a set of fourteen freely improvised selections. At the forefront is the beautifully fluid playing of bass clarinetist Michelle Monterrat Oliva (Angela In The Arts) whose rich tones are softly caressed by John D’earth’s expressive trumpet and flute playing. While “free jazz” is not for everyone, the gentleness of this music may provide an opening for some who may want to explore the outside edges of the jazz spectrum. Give it a try and listen to five artists working seamlessly together. Highly recommended.
Rebecca Coupe Franks – Landscape Suites For Trumpet (Self Produced, released 11/11/2024). Rebecca Coupe Franks – trumpet, Jessica Jones – tenor saxophone, Larry Teitze – clarinet, Marisa Trees – flute, Rich Syracuse – bass, Susan Seligman – cello1, Patricia Santos – cello 2, Stephen Minor – violin 1, Gwen Laster – violin 2, Jeff Siegel – drums / percussion.
Trumpeter Rebecca Coupe Banks leads a chamber jazz ensemble of trumpet, three reeds, four strings, bass and drums.
Scott Hamilton – Looking Back (Stunt Records, released 10/23/2024). Scott Hamilton – tenor saxophone, Jan Lundgren – piano, Hans Backenroth – bass, Kristian Leth – drums.
From the first note of the stately version of I’ve Grown Accustomed to You Face, you know you are in the company of a world-class ballad player. Tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton burst on the scene 50 years ago becoming a major voice in the revival of acoustic jazz as fusion ran out of juice in the late 70s. He has never been a trend setter and has always seemed like more that a bit of a throwback. But, all that said, he is a beautiful player and a reminder of great pre-bop players like Ben Webster, Zoot Sims and Stan Getz. This makes me nostalgic in a cozy way. Good for him. Highly recommended.
Reviews: The Jazz Word, Five Finger Review, Jazz Sensibilites
Claire Martin – Almost In Your Arms (Stunt Records, released 09/27/2024). Martin Sjöstedt – piano, Niklas Fernqvist – bass, Daniel Fredriksson – drums, James McMillan – percussion / additional keyboards / programming, Claire Martin – vocals with Joe Locke – vibraphone, Karl-Martin Almqvist – saxophone, Mark Jaimes – guitar, Nikki Iles – accordion, Charlie Wood – vocals
Another excellent release from vocalist Clare Martin, who continues to expand the repertoire of vocal jazz beyond the long list of familiar standards. She does tackle a couple of these standards, but expands her reach to bring a number of fine pop compositions into the jazz-o-sphere – tunes like Tom Waits’ This One’s From The Heart, Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach’s This House is Empty Now, or Rufus Wainwright’s The Art Teacher. A lovely release from start to finish. Highly recommended.
Reviews: Jazz Views, UK Jazz News, UK Vibe
Stephane Wrembel featuring Jean-Michel Pilc – Triptych Phase 1, Phase 2 & Phase 3 (Water Is Life Records, released 04/12/2024). Nick Driscoll – saxophone / clarinet, Jean-Michel Pilc – piano, Stephane Wrembel – guitar, Thor Jensen – guitar, Josh Kaye guitar, Ari Folman-Cohen – bass, Eduardo Belo upright bass, Nick Anderson – drums,
Without question, guitarist Stephane Wremble is the premier interpreter of Django Reinhardt’s seminal work from the 30s. In a monumental three disc release, Wrembel joins forces with formidable pianist Jean-Michel Pilc and an ensemble that splits between a quintet with another guitar plus bass and drums and a sextet with the addition of Nick Driscoll on clarinet and saxophone. The program mixes originals from Wrembel and Pilc with five Reinhardt compositions. The sound is broader than some of the more Django-heavy releases in Wrembel’s discography and the result is more interesting to me. Great playing throughout. Highly recommended.
Reviews: AllAboutJazz, Jazz Weekly, Acoustic Guitar
I hope you find something here to challenge your ears.
Russell Perry
Jazz at 100 Now!
If your music isn’t changing your life, you’ve simply picked the wrong songs. – Ted Gioia