New Jazz Releases – 04/28/2025
By Russell Perry
Joe Lovano
Please excuse the great number of releases this week. The music is coming in a fierce pace and I am working through some backlog as I prepare for stepping away from this effort for several weeks. Highlights this week – notable debut recordings from Brandon Woody and Kannaste4; rediscovered gems written by Thad Jones performed by Sean Nelson with New London Big Band; new work from established artists Joe Lovano, Daniel Herskedal, and Bill Stewart; and a peak into the Strata-East catalog with reissues of Pharaoh Sanders, Charles Tolliver, and Stanley Cowell.
Alexander Hawkins – Song Unconditional (Intakt Records, release 05/16/2025). Alexander Hawkins – piano.
British pianist Alexander Hawkins has released another solo piano record that bristles with intensity and then settles down to widely spaced chords.
Brandon Woody – For The Love Of It All (Blue Note Records, release 05/09/2025). Brandon Woody – trumpet, Troy Long – piano / organ / Rhodes, Michael Saunders – bass, Quincy Phillips – drums with Imani-Grace – vocals, Vittorio Stropoli – auxiliary synthesizers.
This is the debut recording for Baltimore trumpeter Brandon Woody. Woody is a young player to watch, bringing passion and technique to a set of six originals. Recommended.
Review: Everything Jazz
Deborah Silver & The Count Basie Orchestra – Basie Rocks (Green Hill Productions, release 05/02/2025). Deborah Silver – vocals with guest artists: Arturo Sandoval – trumpet, Pedrito Martínez – congas / timbales, Peter Frampton – guitar, Kurt Elling – vocals, Steve Jordan – drums, John Clayton – bass, Monte Croft – vibes, Trombone Shorty – vocals / trombone, Bill Frisell – guitar, George Coleman – tenor saxophone, Wycliffe Gordon – trombone / vocals, Herlin Riley – tambourine / washboard / 2nd-Line snare drum, Scotty Barnhart – trumpet.
The Count Basie Orchestra, who won the 2024 Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble, are a well-rehearsed group of top-flight musicians. This time out they have teamed with vocalist Deborah Silver to record jazz arrangements of 60s and 70s pop tunes. Some of the arrangements provide a new look at familiar material, like Soft Cell’s Tainted Love interpreted through a Peggy Lee Fever lens (with Kurt Elling.) However, I didn’t find most of the material to be so revelatory.
Kris Adams / Peter Perfido – Away (Jazzbird Records, release 05/01/2025). Bob Degen – piano, Andre Buser – bass, Peter Perfido – drums, Kris Adams – vocals.
Drummer Peter Perfido had a long musical relationship with the late jazz guitarist and composer Michael O’Neil. He has assembled a quartet with singer Kris Adams to interpret this music that clearly means so much to him.
Melissa Kassel & Tom Zicarelli Group – Moments (MKMusic, release 05/01/2025). Phil Grenadier – trumpet, Tom Zicarelli – piano, Bruce Gertz – bass, Gary Feldman – drums, Melissa Kassel – vocals.
Long-time collaborators singer Melissa Kassel and pianist Tom Zicarelli have released an inventive set of ten original compositions.
Review: AllAboutJazz
Kannaste4 – Out of Self and Into Others (We Jazz, 04/25/2025). Tomi Nikku – trumpet, Jussi Kannaste – tenor saxophone, Petter Eldh – double bass, Joonas Riippa – drum.
This is the debut recording for Helsinki-based tenor saxophonist Jussi Kannaste and he has chosen a chordless trumpet – tenor – bass – drums format for this program of nine originals. There is a loose and open sound to the resulting quartet which is well-suited to the material. Bassist Petter Eldh is familiar from several European releases (Peter Evans, Gard Nilssen, Django Bates) but the other players are not familiar to me. I like this very much. Highly recommended.
Sean Nelson / New London Big Band – Don’t Stop Now: The Lost Music of Thad Jones Written For Harry James (All In Records, release 04/25/2025). Wayne Bergeron, Don Clough, Seth Bailey, Renée McGee, Luke Wingfield – trumpets, Sean Nelson, Leroy Loomer, Vince Yanovitch, Wes Mayhew – trombones, Erik Elligers, Tyler Wilkins, Cedric Mayfield, Josh Thomas, Jeff Emerich – saxophones, Jen Allen – piano, Gianni Gardner – guitar, Lou Bocciarelli – bass, John Riley – drums.
This big band recording has a distinctly old school sound and it comes by it honestly. Band leader Sean Jones has exhumed eight arrangements that legendary writer (and trumpet player) Thad Jones wrote for trumpeter Harry James and his big band. Jones had been with Basie from 1954 – 1963 (the “New Testament” band) and then with the Thad Jones – Mel Lewis Big Band from 1966 – 1978. The newly discovered, but unrecorded, arrangements from the early 60s form the core of this new disc, with Wayne Bergeron (Charles Pillow Large Ensemble, Gordon Goodwin & Big Phat Band) taking James’ lead trumpet role. This Connecticut-based big band, playing it straight, does a sparkling job of capturing the spirit and energy of this sometimes overlooked chapter in the story of jazz big bands. Love it. Highly recommended especially for classic big band enthusiasts.
Review: Paris Move
Joe Lovano – Homage (ECM, release 04/24/2025). Joe Lovano – tenor saxophone / tarogato / gongs, Marcin Wasilewski – piano, Slawomir Kurkiewicz – bass, Michal Miskiewicz – drums.
Tenor giant Joe Lovano (Our Daily Bread, previewed 05/15/2023) and the piano trio of ECM-denizen Marcin Wasilewski (En Attendant, 2022) have reunited after their release of 2020 – Arctic Riff. It’s an exploratory and adventurous set performed by players of obvious synergy. The trio makes a lovely setting for Lovano’s light touch. Highly recommended
Review: UK Vibe, The Guardian, The Arts Desk
Joanie Pallatto & Bradley Parker-Sparrow – Song (Southport, release 04/25/2025. Bradley Parker-Sparrow – piano, Joanie Pallato – vocals.
After many years of recording and producing records for their own Southport label, partners vocalist Joanie Pallato and pianist Bradley Parker-Sparrow have appeared on each others projects, but have never made a record as a duo. So that is what this is – two players and twelve of their compositions, bending toward the poetic.
Review: Paris Move
Daniel Herskedal – Movements of Air(Edition Records, release 04/25/2025). Daniel Herskedal – brass, Eyolf Dale – piano / keyboards, Helge Norbakken – drums.
Norwegian tuba player Daniel Herkedal is back with his trio for another moody and atmospheric set that picks up a funky vibe from time-to-time. There is no question that he is a master of his horn and an effective writer for the trio. Recommended.
Review: AllAboutJazz, UK Vibe
Bill Stewart – Live At The Village Vanguard (Criss Cross, release 04/25/2025). Walter Smith III – tenor saxophone, Larry Grenadier – bass, Bill Stewart – drums.
In a stripped down tenor – bass – drums trio, leader Bill Stewart features straight-ahead post bop with a lot of space. Stewart and uber-bassist Larry Grenadier were recently heard on the highly-recognized collective effort M.T.B. – Solid Jackson (previewed 12/02/2024). Out front, we find tenorist Walter Smith III (Return to Casual, previewed -4/03/2023). Some great playing here. Recommended.
Strata-East Record Store Day 2025 Sampler (Strata-East Records, release 04/25/2025). Charles Tolliver / Music Inc, Stanley Cowell, Shamek Farrah, Charles Rouse, Pharaoh Sanders, Clifford Jordan, The Heath Brothers.
The ground-breaking 70s label Strata-East has made a distribution agreement with Mack Avenue to reissue highlights of the catalog. Not only did they send us this single CD anthology, but also the 30 of the first reissues in digital form. This represents just over half of the catalog. Strata-East Records, founded in 1971 by Charles Tolliver and Stanley Cowell, is an influential jazz label known for artistic freedom and high production standards. Specializing in avant-garde and post-bop jazz, its notable albums include Tolliver’s Music Inc, Cowell’s Musa: Ancestral Streams, Pharaoh Sanders’ Isipho Sam (My Gifts) and Billy Harper’s Capra Black. Strata-East addressed social and political themes resonant with the Black Arts Movement. Its pioneering approach to artist rights has inspired generations of musicians and independent labels, cementing its place in jazz history. As noted below, four of the classics have now been reissued on CD.
Pharaoh Sanders – Izipho Zam (My Gifts) (Stara-East, released 04/25/2025). Howard Johnson – tuba, Sonny Fortune – alto saxophone, Pharoah Sanders – tenor saxophone / percussion, Lonnie Liston Smith – piano, Sonny Sherrock – guitar, Cecil McBee – bass, Norris (Siroine) Jones – bass, Billy Hart – drums, Majeed Shabazz – drums, Chief Bey – drums, Nat Bettis – piano, Tony Wylie – percussion, Leon Thomas – vocals / percussion.
Pharoah Sanders’ first recordings as a leader were for Strata-East in 1969, although by the time this set was released in 1973, he had several important discs out on Impulse. This one remains essential, not just as a piece of history but as a record of spiritual jazz immediately post-Coltrane, who died in 1967. Look at the personnel, many of whom made seminal recordings over the next decade or two – Howard Johnson on tuba, Sonny Fortune on alto, Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, Sonny Sherrock on guitar, Cecil McBee on bass, Billy Hart (who continues to delight) on drums and especially Leon Thomas on vocals. The uninitiated may find Sanders in this period to be abrasive, but give it a try. Highly recommended
Review: AllMusic, UK Jazz News, UK Vibe
Charles Tolliver’s Music Inc – Live at Slugs’ Volume 1 and 2 (Strata-East, released 04/25/2025). Charles Tolliver- trumpet, Stanley Cowell – piano, Cecil McBee – bass, Jimmy Hopps – drums.
Trumpeter Charles Tolliver and pianist Stanley Cowell founded the Strata-East label in 1971. Among the first releases were sessions recorded earlier, including this 1970 date with the two principals plus Cecil McBee on bass and Jimmy Hopps on drums. McBee was coming off a notable stint with Charles Lloyd and had recorded with Wayne Shorter, Andrew Hill, Jackie McLean and other luminaries. Although the Slugs piano needs attention, the music is delicious and Tolliver / Cowell have some real synergy going. Cowell, in particular, is on fire. Highly recommended.
Review: London Jazz Collector
Stanley Cowell – MUSA * Ancestral Streams (Strat-East, release 04/25/2025). Stanley Cowell – piano.
This is one of the best solo piano records ever recorded and it has not, until now, been released on CD or digitally. Stanley Cowell deeply mines a range of musical veins – he can be funky, soulful, spiritual, melancholy, or joyful. This 1974 program consists of compositions by the artist, many of which he had recorded before or would again. Fifty-one years has not diminished the power of this recording. Highly recommended.
Review: Audiophile Audition, UK Vibe
Charles Rouse – Two Is One (Strata-East, release 04/25/2025). Charles Rouse – tenor saxophone / bass clarinet, Paul Metzke – guitar, Martin Rivera – bass, Stanley Clarke – bass, David Lee – drums, Azzedin Weston – congas, Airto Moreira – percussion
Tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse played in Monk’s quartet from 1959 – 1970, covering the end of the years that the quartet recorded on Riverside and all of the Columbia years. This disc, coming four years later is a marked departure for Rouse to the point that it could be said that this is more a Strata-East recording than a Charlie Rouse recording. I think that is fair. I find the guitarist not up to the material and the star power of Stanley Clarke and Airto Moreira to be squandered with average material and arrangements. Strata-East punched over their weight and a high percentage of their releases are very good and some legendary, but I’ll pass on this one.
Review: UK Vibe, London Jazz Collector
Tony Jones / Charlie Burnham’s Pitch, Rhythm and Consciousness – Sextet (REVA Records, release 04/22/2025). Tony Jones – tenor saxophone, Jessica Jones – tenor saxophone, Charlie Burnham – violin, Marika Hughes – cello, Rashaan Carter – bass, Kenny Wollesen – drums / percussion.
Co-founded by tenor saxophonist Tony Jones (Tony James and Jessica James – Hearing Into The Future, previewed 02/05/2024) and violinist Charlie Burham (Blood Ulmer, Muhal Richard Abrams, Joseph Jarmen), the ensemble has expanded to a sextet for this release. The music is surprising and varied with the three string players (violin – cello – bass) defining a soft base upon which the saxophones explore the compositions.
Review: AllAboutJazz
Johnny O’Neal – Everybody Loves Johnny O’Neal (Cellar Music, release 04/18/2025). Johnny O’Neal – voice / piano, Luke Sellick – bass, Itay Morchi – drums.
Pianist / vocalist Johnny O’Neal is very much an old school performer / bandleader of the sort you might have expected to see in a sophisticated piano bar in a big city hotel. This live recording captures that ambiance.
James Zito – Zito’s Jump (Self Produced, release 04/11/2025). Nicholas Dimaria – trumpet, Jack Kotze – trombone, Joseph Miller – alto saxophone, Chris Lewis – tenor saxophone / flute, Jarien Jamanila – baritone saxophone, Luther Allison – piano, James Zito – guitar, Rodney Whitaker – bass, Joe Farnsworth – drums, Georgia Heers – vocals, Tyreek McDole – vocals.
For his debut recording New-York-based guitarist James Zito evidences his Wes Montgomery / George Benson chops on this Soul Jazz romp. Zito gets help from his ace rhythm section of pianist Luther Allison (I Owe It All To You, previewed 08/05/2024), bassist Rodney Whitaker (Mosaic: The Music of Gregg Hill, previewed 02/24/2025) and drummer Joe Farnsworth (In What Direction Are You Headed?, previewed 05/15/2023). Chris Lewis (Brandon Sanders) is a standout on flute and tenor.
Review: Paris Move, The Jazz Word, Jazz Weekly
Unity Quartet – Samba Of Sorts(Sunnyside Records, release 04/11/2025). Helio Alves – piano, Guilherme Monteiro – guitar, Gili Lopes – bass, Alex Kautz – drums.
Four New York-based Brazilian musicians bring their native sensibilities to a program of straight-ahead jazz. Pianist Helio Alves (Alex Kautz, Yuko Ito, Diego Figueiredo) shares solo time with guitarist Guilherme Monteiro (Janes Brandon Lewis) with the ensemble anchored by Gili Lopes on bass and Alex Kautz (Where We Begin, previewed 11/18/2024) on drums.
Review: Jazz Views, Latin Jazz Net
José Luiz Martins – Odyssey Mixtape (Origin Records, release 03/18/2025). José Luiz Martins – piano / keyboards / synthesizers, Romeir Mendez – bass, Dana Hawkins – drums with
Alex Hamburger – flute / voice, John Lee – guitar, Tyrone Allen II – electric bass, Florian Haas – drums, Nakama – voice.
Brazilian keyboardist José Luiz Martins incorporates many influences into this fusion recording with an electric demeanor.
Review: Making A Scene, Jazz Weekly, Paris Move
In the coming weeks, these notes will be capably authored by Steve Harris, David Soyka and Gary Funston. I’ll be back.
Russell Perry
Jazz at 100 Now!
If your music isn’t changing your life, you’ve simply picked the wrong songs. – Ted Gioia
