New Jazz Releases – 05/04/2026
By Russell Perry
Mike Clements
While WTJU was focussed on the unbelievably successful Rock Marathon, the jazz discs started to flow in. You may wish to pay attention to new releases from Havana-based pianist Alejandro Falcón, Mike Clement’s organ – guitar quartet with horns and veteran bassist Nat Reeves.
Jeff Lederer – There’s a Yearning(Little (i) Music, please 05/01/2026). Jeff Lederer – saxophone / clarinet, Mary LaRose – vocal with Wildebeest Wind Quintet: Michel Gentile – flute, Katie Scheele – oboe, Mike McGuiness – clarinet, Sara Schoenbeck – bassoon, Nathan Koci – French horn.
Third-stream compositions from three important 20th Century alto players (Oliver Nelson, Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy) are interpreted by saxophonist Jeff Lederer with the Wildebeest (woodwind) Quintet and vocalist Mary LaRose.
Phil Haynes, Ben Monder, Peyton Pleninger – Terra (Corner Store Jazz, release 05/01/2026. Peyton Pleninger – saxophone, Ben Monder – guitar, Phil Haynes – drums / percussion.
The trio of familiar collaborators percussionist Phil Haynes (Return To Electric, previewed 04/21/2025) and guitarist Ben Monder (The Bad Plus) plus young saxophonist Peyton Pleninger submit three fully improvised pieces plus an interpretation of Stardust. The music is spacious and unhurried.
Review: Jazz Views, Paris Move
Paul Silbergleit Trio – The Stillness of July (Calligram Records, release 05/01/2026). Paul Silbergleit – guitar, Clay Schaub – bass, Devin Drobka – drums.
In a classic-sounding trio set, Milwaukee-based guitarist Paul Silbergleit channels his inner Pat Martino on a creative selection of six cover plus three originals. Look for tracks by Stevie Wonder, Rogers & Hammerstein, and Charlie Parker.
Review: Paris Move
Brian Citro – Keep Moving (Home) (Calligram Records, release 05/01/2026). Nick Mazzarella – alto saxophone / Wurlitzer, Brian Citro – guitar, Matt Ulery – electric bass / double bass, Quin Kirchner – drums / percussion.
Chicago-based guitarist has released an easy-going mid-tempo collection of original compositions with an alto / organ – guitar – bass – drums quartet.
Review: Paris Move, AllAboutJazz
Sean Imboden – Uncharted Realms (Self Produced, release 05/01/2026). Clark Hunt – trumpet / flugelhorn, Ansyn Banks – trumpet / flugelhorn, Tucker Woerner – trombone, Zac Granger – trombone, Chaz Rhodes – trombone, Rich Dole – bass trombone, Matt Pivec – alto saxophone / soprano saxophone / flute / clarinet, LaMont Webb – alto saxophone / flute / alto flute, Sean Imboden – tenor saxophone / soprano saxophone, Mark O’Connor – tenor saxophone / soprano saxophone, Cecily Terhune – tenor saxophone, Evan Drybread – baritone saxophone / bass clarinet, Christopher Pitts – piano, Joel Tucker – guitar, Nick Tucker – bass, Cassius Goens III – drums with Joey Tartell – trumpet / flugelhorn, John Raymond – trumpet / flugelhorn, Scott Belk – trumpet / flugelhorn, Kent Hickey – trumpet / flugelhorn.
For his second release, Indianapolis-based saxophonist / bandleader / composer Sean Imboden (Communal Heart, preview 04/21/2025) continues to bring us rich music of shifting dynamics, varying meters and sweeping motifs. Epic modern big band music!
Review: Jazz Trail
Ray Obiedo – Slight Accent (Rhythmus Records, release 05/01/2026). Joel Berman – flugelhorn / trumpet / trombone, Skylar Tang – trumpet, Jeff Cressman – trombone, Norbert Stachel – saxophone / flute / bass clarinet, Jesse Levit – soprano saxophone, Bob Minzer – tenor saxophone, Peter Horvath – keyboards, David K. Mathews – keyboard, Toots Thielemans – harmonica, Ray Obiedo – guitar, Marc van Wageningen – bass, David Feiszli – bass, Phil Hawkins – drums / steel pans, David Garibaldi – drums, Karl Perazzo – percussion / timbales, Peter Michael Escovedo – percussion, Michael Spiro – percussion, Lilan Kane – background vocals, Leah Tysse – background vocals / vocals, Michelle Hawkins – background vocals, Chloe Jean – vocals.
Oakland-based guitarist (Roger Glenn, Bob Mintzer) brings us a very smooth latin jazz set featuring a slew of mostly West Coast players.
Harry Skoler – Echoes (Red Brick Hill, release 05/01/2026). Harry Skyler – clarinet, Bill Frisell – guitar, Dezron Douglas – bass, Johnathan Blake – drums.
Berkelee faculty member / clarinet player Harry Skoler (Red Brick Hill, preview 07/01/2024) has formed an excellent quartet with a very sympathetic Bill Frisell on guitar, Dezron Douglas on bass and Johnathan Blake on drums. The program of eleven outside-leaning originals revolves around non-imitative tributes to nine of the leader’s heroes – Bill Evans, James Williams, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Marian McPartland, Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, Jimmy Giuffre, Lionel Hampton, Miles. Note that the list of influences is quite short on clarinet players. Fellow Berklee faculty member Walter Smith III contributes an additional three compositions.
Review: UK Vibe, Paris Move, UK Jazz News
Jason Kruk – Beyond the Veil (Sun Goose Records, release 05/01/2026). Brian Donohoe – tenor saxophone, Art Hirahara – piano, Bob Lanzetti – guitar, Wayne Krantz – guitar, Adam Rogers – guitar, Fima Ephron – bass, Michael League – bass, Jason Kruk – drums.
Ferocious jazz fusion set from drummer Jason Kruk.
Alejandro Falcón – Falcón In Blue(Dot Time, release 05/01/2026). Alejandro Falcón – piano, Arnulfo Guerras – bass, Ruy López Nussa – drums, José Julián Morejón – bongos / percussion with Orlando Valle Maraca – flute, Ted Nash – tenor saxophone, Rachel Terrien – trumpet, Roni Ben-Hur – guitar, Emir Santa Cruz – tenor saxophone, Mayquel González – trumpet, Janio Abreu – soprano saxophone / tenor saxophone, Pedro Pablo Gutiérrez – acoustic bass.
Havana-based pianist Alejandro Falcón brings his take on historical Cuban musical forms (danzón, son, rumba, cha-cha-chá, bolero) to this set of originals composed for piano – bass – drums – percussion quartet. To the basic quartet, Falcón adds Roni Ben-Hur on guitar and a number of trumpeters and sax players, including Ted Nash on tenor (Triological, previewed 04/13/2026) and Rachel Therrien on trumpet (Mi Hogar II, preview 03/10/2025). For fans of Latin Jazz with driving percussion, this is the one for you. Recommended.
Arturo Sandoval – Sangu (TM Records, release 05/01/2026). Arturo Sandoval – trumpet / vocals, Paul Nowell – trombone, Bob Sheppard – alto saxophone / baritone saxophone / flute, Michael Tucker – tenor saxophone, Lisandro Pidre – piano / keyboards, William Brahm – guitar, Maximillian Gerl – bass, Daniel Feldman – drums.
One-time Dizzy Gillespie protege / trumpeter Arturo Sandoval (My Foolish Heart, previewed 11/25/2024) won the first ever Grammy for Latin Jazz Album in 1995 and has regularly released discs over the years. More recently, while the propulsive rhythms are still there, the music tends to drift away from jazz to my ears.
Steve Wilson – Enduring Sonance (Smoke Sessions, release 05/01/2026). Steve Wilson – alto saxophone, Renee Rosnes – piano, Joe Locke – vibraphone, Jay Anderson – bass, Kendrick Scott – drums.
Although saxophonist Steve Wilson is a very active player (Maria Schneider, Anthony Branker, Christian McBride) his releases as a leader come few and far between. His new disc is mostly a ballad affair, with a very soft edge, reinforced through delicate work from pianist/arranger Renee Rosnes (Crossing Paths, preview 12/30/2024) and vibraphonist Joe Locke (Makram, previewed 02/20/2023).
Review: Paris Move, AllAboutJazz
Bobby Broom – Notes Of Thanks (Clean Sweep Music, release 05/01/2026). Bobby Broom – guitar, Dennis Carroll – bass, Kobie Watkins – drums.
Chicago guitarist Bobby Boom has recorded a set with his working guitar – bass – drums trio, their first together since 2009 (Bobby Broom Plays For Monk). Harkening back to his time in Sonny Rollins’s band (off and on from 1981 – 2012), Broom has included nine compositions by the tenor great along with one by bassist Dennis Carroll.
Mike Clement – Polka Dots & Ray Bans (Cellar Music, release 04/24/2026). Tris Duncan – Hammond B3 organ, Mike Clement – guitar, Gerald Watkins Jr. – drums with Julian Lee – tenor saxophone, Miles Berry – tenor saxophone, Connor Stewart – alto saxophone, Leroy Jones – trumpet.
Grant Green aficionados will likely love this new organ – guitar – drums trio from guitarist Mike Clement (Hittin’ It, previewed 03/25/2024). On four of the ten tunes, Clements welcomes one of four horn players – two tenors, one alto and a trumpeter. The trio works well by itself and incorporates these other voices well. One of the better guitar – organ trio records to come out recently. Recommended.
Review: Jazz Weekly
Blue Moods – Directions & Expressions (Posi-Tone Records, release 04/17/2026). Eli Howell – trombone, Diego Rivera – saxophone, Art Hirahara – piano, Behn Gillece – vibraphone, Boris Kozlov – bass, and Vinnie Sperrazza – drums.
Blue Moods is an ensemble composed of artists who record for Posi-Tone Records, on which they periodically release sets dedicated to the music of a single modern jazz hero – Force & Grace (2025) Freddie Hubbard, Swing & Soul (2024) Duke Pearson, Myth & Wisdom (2022) Charles Mingus. Predictably, in the year of his centennial, Blue Moods is back to tackle the music of Miles Davis. In lieu of the format previously employed – a tenor quartet focussed on the playing of Diego Rivera (West Circle, previewed 05/12/2025), this time out the ensemble adds Eli Howell on trombone (Steps Taken, preview 04/20/2026) and Behn Gillece on vibes (Pivot Point, preview 06/09/2025), but, surprisingly, no trumpet player. I found the selection of material weak (nothing from Kind Of Blue, no Nardis, Milestones, Four, etc.) and the omission of a trumpeter perplexing.
Review: Making A Scene
Nat Reeves – Now In Time (Side Door Records, release 04/17/2026). Eddie Henderson – trumpet, Steve Davis – trombone, Eric Alexander – tenor saxophone, Orrin Evans – piano, Nat Reeves – bass, Jeff “Tain” Watts – drums.
Veteran bassist Nat Reeves (Sarah Hanahan, Ron Blake) pulls together an all-star sextet with trumpeter Eddie Henderson (Mike Clark, Steve Davis, Gerald Cannon), trombonist Steve Davis (We See, previewed 11/11/2024) and tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander (Like Sugar, preview 09/15/2025) in the front line. Three tunes by Reeves plus one by Alexander complement eight well-chosen covers including less often played selections from Sonny Still, Jackie McClean, Kenny Garrett and Mulgrew Miller. Solid hard bop. Recommended.
Review: AllAboutJazz
And thanks again for your contributions to the recent marathon!
Russell Perry
Jazz at 100 Now!
If your music isn’t changing your life, you’ve simply picked the wrong songs. – Ted Gioia
