New Jazz Releases – 03/02/2026
By Russell Perry
Ingrid Jensen
The pace picked up a bit this week with new releases from multi-reedist Carl Clements, busy trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, and a big band new to me – Interplay Jazz Orchestra. Continuing a trend of the past several years, we have another multi-disc set of live Art Pepper, this time from 1959 toward the end of a very productive early period (soon to be interrupted by another in a series of incarcerations.)
Carl Clements – Retrospective (Greydisc, release 03/01/2026). Carl Clements – tenor saxophone / soprano saxophone / bansuri flute, Jean-Yves Jung – piano, Johannes Schaedlich – bass, Jens Biehl – drums.
Amherst, MA-based saxophonist and flutist Carl Clements is back with another sax quartet release (A Different Light,2023), but with a different European set of players, all of whom are new to me. Clements has written a set of nine new originals, ranging from straight-ahead hard bop to unusual time signatures to North Indian classical music bringing tenor, soprano and bansuri flute to the quartet. Recommended.
Review: Paris Move, JW Vibe, Jazz Journal
Kristen Mather de Andrade – Sem Fin (Ansonica Records, release 03/01/2026). Bill Owens – trumpet, Alaina Alster – trombone, Kristen Mather de Andrade – clarinet / vocals, Lívio Almeida – saxophone, Katrina Owens – flute, Vitor Gonçalves – piano / accordion, Eduardo Belo – bass, Vinícius Gomes – bass, Toomai String Quintet, Dennis Boolyoins (Bulhões) – drums with Sean Jones – trumpet.
New York-based clarinetist / vocalist Kristen Mather de Andrade has made a lightly swinging set of eleven original Brazilian-influenced compositions, scored for ten pieces plus a string quintet.
Review: Scope Magazine
Ingrid Jensen – Landings (Newville Records, release 02/27/2026). Ingrid Jensen – trumpet, Gary Versace – piano / organ, Marvin Sewell – guitar, Jon Wikan – drums with George Coleman – tenor saxophone.
In-demand Canadian-born New York-based trumpeter Ingrid Jensen (Maria Schnieder, Darcy James Argue, Artemis) is out with a quartet set and she has assembled a great band – Gary Versace (John Ellis, Ed Neumeister, Joel Harrison) on piano / organ, Marvin Sewell (Charles Lloyd, Immanuel Wilkins, Christian Sands) on guitar, and husband Jon Wikan (Darcy James Argue, Christine Jensen) on drums. This would be a familiar soul jazz-leaning lineup, were Jensen a tenor player, but for a trumpet-led ensemble, this is more unusual. Jensen contributes three compositions and Versace and Sewell one each with guest artist tenorist George Coleman bringing his standard Amsterdam After Dark to the set. In the end, it is the lovely round and burnished tone of Jensen’s horn that positively defines the release. Highly recommended.
Review: AllAboutJazz, UK Vibe
Quinsin Nachoff – Patterns In Nature (Whirlwind Records, release 02/27/2026). Tony Padlock – trumpet, Ryan Keberle – trombone, John Clark – French horn, Quinsin Nachoff – tenor saxophone, Francois Houle – clarinet, Roberta Michel – flute, Sara Schoenbeck – bassoon, Matt Mitchell – piano, Molinari String Quartet, Carlo De Rosa – bass, Satoshi Takeishi – percussion, Aaron Edgcomb – percussion.
Tenor saxophonist Quinsin Nachoff has recorded two suites of complex through-composed music interpreted with improvisation, performed by a collection of New York avant-garde jazz and classical players. According to the artist, “This ambitious project … in collaboration with Physicist Stephen Morris involves developing a multimedia work exploring emergent patterns from nature.”
Booker Stardrum – Close-up On The Outside (We Jazz, release 02/27/2026). Chris Williams – trumpet, Logan Hone – reeds, Jeremiah Chiu – synthesizer, Michael Coleman – keyboards, Lester St. Louis – cello, Anna Butterss – bass, Booker Stardrum – drums.
Kingston, NY percussionist Booker Stardrum has released an electro-acoustic percussion set that is heavy on rhythm and ambiance and light on melody.
Review: Best of Jazz
Paul McCandless – Live At Kimball’s East 1992(Moosicus, release 02/27/2026). Paul McCandless – woodwinds, Lyle Mays – piano, Fred Simon – keyboards, Steve Rodby – bass, Mark Walker – drums.
Woodwinds player Paul McCandless was a member of the groundbreaking multi-genre ensemble Oregon. In this live recording from 1992, McCandless was touring with the band that joined him in recording the 1992 release Premonition. Pianist Lyle Mays was taking a break from his work with Pat Metheny, with whom he played from 1978 – 2005. It is lovely to hear McCandless’s achingly beautiful tone of the rarely-played jazz oboe.
Review: Jazz Chill Music
Sam Robinson – Chasin’ The Dream(Miles High Records, release 02/27/2026). Scott Robinson – trumpet, Scott Angst – tenor saxophone, Jack Macklin – guitar, Aaron Krings – bass, Chase Wilkins – drums.
For his fourth outing, trumpeter Sam Robinson has recorded a set of six original compositions with his Chicago-based trumpet – tenor quintet. The program consists of swinging hard bop, well-played by artists who are largely unfamiliar to me.
Dave Stapleton – Quiet Fire (Edition Records, release 02/27/2026). Nils Petter Molvær – trumpet, Olga Amelchenko – alto saxophone, Dave Stapleton – Rhodes / synthesizers, Tara Cunningham – guitar, Victoria Stapleton – violin, Jon Goode – bass, Elliot Bennett – drums with Stuart McCallum – guitar.
From the founder of Edition Records, keyboardist Dave Stapleton, comes a synth-heavy studio beat concoction.
The Interplay Jazz Orchestra – Bite Your Tongue (Self Produced, release 02/26/2026). Mike Rubenstein, Damien Pacheco, Baron Lewis, Gary Henderson – trumpets, Brent Chiarello, Joey Devassy, Steve Barbieri, John Passanante, Eric Gottesman – trombones, Chris Donohue – alto saxophone, James Miceli – alto saxophone / flute, Luke Norris – alto saxophone, John Marshall, Alejandro Aviles – tenor saxophone, Chris Scarnato – baritone sax, Jay Orig – piano, Dave Lobenstein – bass, Cameron Escovedo – drums.
A beautifully arranged set of three originals and six well-chosen covers shows the power of a large ensemble through Latin, Samba, blues, and hard bop grooves. Recommended.
Review: Jazz Sensibilities
Ashley Jackson – Cover Girl (Decca Records, release 02/27/2026). Ashley Jackson – harp, Emi Ferguson – flute.
Harpist Ashley Jackson (Take Me To The Water, previewed 03/31/2025) has released an EP of four selections chosen to celebrate women in pop music, specifically Nina Simone, Whitney Houston, Arooj Aftab and Dolores O’Riordan (The Cranberries). Emi Ferguson joins on one tune on flute.
Benjie Porecki – Faster Then We Know (Self Produced, release 02/27/2026). Benjie Porecki-piano / organ / keybpoards, Cory Baker – bass, Mark Prince – drums.
Southern Maryland pianist Bennie Porecki (All That Matters, previewed 12/23/2024) and his trio have provided a set of nine originals and one cover of soulful ballads, gospel grooves and a touch of funk.
Review: Scope Magazine
Dave Slonaker Big Band – Shifty Paradigms (Origin Records, release 02/20/2026). Wayne Bergeron – trumpet / flugelhorn, Dan Fornero – trumpet / flugelhorn, Clay Jenkins – trumpet / flugelhorn, Ron Stout – trumpet / flugelhorn, Alex Iles – trombone, Charlie Morillas – trombone, Ido Meshulam – trombone, Bill Reichenbach – bass trombone / bass trumpet, Bob Sheppard – alto saxophone / soprano saxophone / flute, Brian Scanlon – alto saxophone / soprano saxophone / flute, Rob Lockart – tenor saxophone / clarinet, Tom Luer – tenor saxophone / clarinet, Adam Schroeder – baritone saxophone / bass clarinet / flute, Ed Czach – piano, Edwin Livingston – acoustic bass / electric. bass, Andy Waddell – guitar, Peter Erskine – drums, Brian Kilgore – percussion.
LA-based composer / bandleader has reassembled his big band of 15 years for a set of seven originals and one cover. Slonacker is masterful at isolating the sections to punch back and forth and has selected a set of players who bring the necessary solo heft to make the work sing.
Review: AllAboutJazz, Making A Scene
Art Pepper – Everything Happens To Me, 1959: Live At the Cellar (Omnivore Records, release 02/20/2026). Art Pepper – alto saxophone / tenor saxophone, Chris Gage – piano, Tony Clitheroe – bass, George Ursan – drums.
Famously, alto saxophonist Art Pepper’s discography can be read as pulses of recording interrupted by spells of incarceration. He came out of prison in 1956 and recorded a dozen studio discs as a leader before being arrested again in late 1960, including landmarks such as Modern Art (1956), Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section (1957), Art of Pepper (1957), Smack Up (1960), and Intensity (1960). Next we heard from Pepper was his heroic comeback disc Living Legend in 1976. Before that long interregnum, Pepper played a quartet date in Vancouver at The Celler in September 1959, tapes of which have been discovered and mastered. On four discs, Pepper’s contemporary playlist gets a work out and he is at his peak, although playing with an average set of local musicians. Pepper is excellent and Charlie Parker (who died in 1955) is never far from his mind. This is the last flowering of Pepper in this stage of his career. When he returned in 1975, he had listened to a lot of John Coltrane (hadn’t everyone?). Highly recommended.
Donald Harrison – The Magic Touch (Roots To Infinity Records, release 02/13/2026). Donald Harrison – alto saxophone / vocals / piano / organ / additional keyboards / drum programming / percussion with Chris Botti – trumpet, Chuck Loeb – guitar, Michael White – drums, McKinley “Bug” Williams – percussion, Vasti Jackson – guitar, Darious “Deezle” Harrison – keyboards / drum programming / bass, Bill Summers – percussion, Joe Dyson – drums, Nori Naraoka – bass, Zaccai Curtis – piano, Luques Curtis – bass, Shea Pierre – piano, Max Moran – bass, Troy Davis – drums,Josh Connely – guitar, Dan Kaufman – piano, Bamidupe – drum programming / additional keyboards, Jesse “Timbalon” Perez – percussion, Julie Acosta – trumpet, Doug Beavers – trombone.
New Orleans-legend alto sax player Donald Harrison has celebrated his dedication to eclecticism with a nine-track release of the same composition rendered in a variety of styles from post-bop and NOLA Jazz to salsa and bossa nova. This follows his similar 2024 release that tracked three versions of the same tune from Hard Swing to Hip-Hop (The Art Of Passion, previewed 01/15/2024). While I appreciate that Harrison has an interest in (perhaps even a love for) these various styles, one wonders what his musical ambition is. Certainly it isn’t just that he can play anything well – which he can. However, I do really enjoy several of the tracks, including, predictably for this listener, the “tropical / salsa version” with Julie Acosta (Steven Oquendo Latin Jazz Orchestra) on trumpet, Doug Beavers (Luna, previewed 07/17/2023) on trombone and a rhythm section of Zaccai Curtis (Grammy-winning Cubop Lives, previewed 05/27/2024), Luques Curtis (Lisa Hilton, Harold López-Nussa, Conrad Herwig) and Jess Timbalon” Perez.
I’ll be back with more new releases next week.
Russell Perry
Jazz at 100 Now!
If your music isn’t changing your life, you’ve simply picked the wrong songs. – Ted Gioia
