New Jazz Releases – 10/20/2025
By Russell Perry
Jerry Weldon
This week saw several important reissues starting with Charles Mingus’s 1965 gig at Montereyfrom 1965 and including three treasures from Muse Records in the 70s from Kenny Barron, Carlos Garnett and Roy Brooks. From current releases, highlights include new material from Seattle bassist Kelsey Mines, Milwaukee pianist Chris Rottmayer, and two New Yorkers – vibraphonist Ted Piltzecker and tenor player Jerry Weldon. Much to listen to!
Roy Brooks – The Free Slave (Time Traveler Recordings / Muse Records, release10/17/2025). Woody Shaw – trumpet, George Coleman – tenor saxophone, Hugh Lawson – piano, Cecil McBee – bass, Roy Brooks – drums.
Drummer Roy Books was much in demand in the 60s and 70s, contributing to efforts by Horace Silver (1959 – 1964), Chet Baker, Yusef Lateef, Charles Mingus, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Stitt and other A-listers. Regrettably, as he was a fine player, his voice was silenced by mental health issues. For his 1970 debut on Muse, now available on Zev Feldman’s Time Traveller label, he paired fierce trumpeter Woody Shaw with silky tenorist George Coleman in what was, as far as I know, their only recorded collaboration. This reissue shows us what a fine bandleader Brooks was as well, in a classic hard bop date recorded live in Baltimore. Highly Recommended
Review: UK Vibe, The Big Takeover, The Vinyl Press, Jazz Views
Carlos Garnett – Cosmos Nucleus (Time Traveler Recordings / Muse Records, release10/17/2025). Abdul Malik, Angel Fernandez, Cyril Greene, Preston Holas, Quentin Lowther, Roy Campbell, Jr., Wayne Cobham – trumpet, Cliff Anderson, James Stowe, Andrew Washington – trombone, Carlos Garnett – tenor saxophone / soprano saxophone / ukulele / vocals, Zane Massey, Akum Ra Amen-Ra, Randy Gilmore, Yah Ya – tenor saxophone, Al Brown, Charles Dougherty, Robert Wright alto saxophone, Carlos Chambers – baritone saxophone / ukulele, Kenny Kirkland – electric piano, Cecil McBee, Jr. – electric bass, Byron Benbow – drums, Neil Clarke – congas / percussion, Gene Ballard – bongos / percussion, Otis “Junior” McCleary – guitar, Cheryl P. Alexander – vocals.
Saxophonist Carlos Garnett got his break with Miles in the early 70s and, in 1976, he assembled a 26-piece band for what would become his greatest work as metal health and substance abuse issues silenced him soon thereafter. I hear the audacious ambition of this work in players like Kamasi Washington. Somewhat buried in the thick mix is the recording debut of twenty-year-old pianist Kenny Kirkland who would become a much loved, and now much missed, player. Many influences are packed in here – calypso, funk, big band horn charts. This disc comes from the rich Muse Records catalog and has not been released in the US since its 1976 debut.
Review: UK Vibe, The Big Takeover, Jazz Views
Kenny Barron – Sunset To Dawn (Time Traveler Recordings / Muse Records, release 10/17/2025). Kenny Barron – piano, Warren Smith – vibraphone / percussion, Bob Cranshaw – bass, Freddie Waits – drums, Richard Landrum – conga / percussion.
As producer Zev Felman’s Time Traveller Recordings releases selected treasures from the 1970s Muse catalog, Kenny Barron’s debut is an obvious choice. A well-respected sideman in 1973, Barron’s debut showed him to be a searching musician bringing spirituality to a well-honed post-bop sensability. Ranging from mystical themes to raging virtuosity to tender ballads, this release evidenced an artist fully formed with a further potential that has been realized over the intervening 50 years. If you wondered what 70s jazz sounds like, this release is part of the answer. Recommended.
Review: UK Vibe, Paris Move, AllAboutJazz, The Big Takeover
Roberto Montero – Todos Os Tempos (Self Produced, release 10/17/2025). Evandro Hasse – trombone, Rique Pantoja – piano / Rhodes, Otmaro Ruiz – piano, Roberto Montero – acoustic guitar / electric guitar / vocal / synth guitar / bass / percussion / cavaco, Philip Bynoe – bass, Arnou De Melo – bass, Léo Costa – drums, Willian Góe – drums, Osmar Schulze “Peninha” – drums, Munyungo Jackson – udu / percussion, Catina Deluna, Louise Lucena, Dorian Holley, Beth Rhode – vocal.
In Brazilian-born, LA-based guitarist Roberto Montero’s debut release, Brazilian folk and jazz themes and instrumentation live comfortably side-by-side. The program of ten original compositions is unfailingly melodic as Montero sings wordlessly and plays electric and acoustic guitars and the cavaco – a small four-stringed Brazilian instrument.
Gert-Jan Dreesen – Angle of Incidence (Hypnote Records, release 10/17/2025). Jean-Paul Estiévenart – trumpet, Bram De Looze – piano, Cyrille Obermüller – double bass, Gert-Jan Dreessen – drums.
Belgian drummer Gert-Jan Dreesen (Tomer Cohen) has released his debut as a leader in the company of his Belgian quartet consisting of trumpeter Jean-Paul Estiévenart (Armando Luongo), pianist Bram De Looze and bassist Cyrille Obermüller (Tomer Cohen). While the band is contemplative at a very slow pace for much of the set, they do show, on occasion, how they can open it up when they choose.
Phil Haynes & Free Company – Liberty Now! (Corner Store Jazz, release 10/17/2025). Jim Yanda – guitarist, Hank Roberts – cello / vocals, Drew Gress – bass, Phil Haynes – drums.
Drummer Phil Haynes (Return To Electric, previewed 04/21/2025), after a decade hiatus, has returned with his string ensemble, Free Country. The two-CD set is split between one with new compositions by members of the band and a second with covers. There is a spark of Americana here, rendered for new ears with a sense of exploration. Although guitarist Jim Yanda’s work is unfamiliar to me, the balance of the band is well-represented in any discography of the adventurous – Hank Roberts on cello (Gordon Grdina, Bill Frisell) and Drew Gress on bass (Fred Hersch, Randy Ingram, Day Dream Trio).
Review: Paris Move, Jazz Views, Post Genre
Affinity Trio – New Outlook (Origin Records, release 10/17/2025). Eric Jacobson – trumpet, Pamela York – piano, Clay Schaub – bass.
Milwaukee’s Affinity Trio (Hindsight, previewed 10/23/2023) is back with their sophomore release and they are still a lean drummerless trumpet – piano – bass trio. In a set of three originals, two from the songbook and four modern jazz classics (Sam Jones, Kenny Dorham, Thad Jones, Oscar Peterson) the trio swings steadily.
Review: Paris Move, Making A Scene
Kelsey Mines – Everything Sacred, Nothing Serious (OA2, release 10/17/2025). Beserat Tafesse – trombone, Elsa Nilsson – flute / bass flute, John Hansen – piano, Danilo Silva – acoustic guitar / electric guitar, Kelsey Mines – acoustic bass / electric bass / voice, Machado Mijiga – drums, Jeff Busch – percussion.
Seattle bassist Kelsey Mines makes her debut in a program of original compositions with a septet that keeps the flute of Elsa Nilsson upfront throughout and when Nilsson teams up with trombonist Beserat Tefesse and Mines furnishes wordless vocals, the ensemble sings. There is a pronounced lilting Brazilian influence for much of the set. Recommended.
Review: Paris Move
Chris Rottmayer – Playing Favorites (Pilars Jazz, release 10/17/2025). Chris Rottmayer – piano, Clark Sommers – bass, Matt Endres – drumset, Kelsey Wallner – voice.
Madison Wisconsin-based pianist Chris Rottmayer (Being, previewed 03/04/2024) has a wonderful trio with Chicago’s stalwart bassist Clark Sommers (Feast Ephemera, previewed 06/19/2023 & one of my favorites of 2023) and Madison’s Matt Andres on drums. They perform a quartet of tunes from Kenny Barron, Cedar Walton and Tom Harrell. But that’s not the half of it – for the balance, fluid and lovely Denver vocalist Kelsey Wallner (new to me) is enchanting in English and Portuguese. Highly Recommended.
Ted Piltzecker – Peace Vibes (OA2, release 10/17/2025). Brad Goode – trumpet, Ted Piltzecker – vibraphone / marimba / percussion, Gonzalo Teppa – bass, Paul Romaine – drums, Vinicius Barros – Brazilian percussion, Hugo Alcazar – Peruvian percussion.
Vibraphonist Ted Piltzecker had a four-horn front line on his last release (Vibes On A Breath, previewed 08/22/2023). This time out he features trumpeter Brad Goode (The Snake Charmer, previewed 01/27/2025) alone in front with a pair of percussionists in the rhythm section. The program is one modern jazz classic after another (Nardis, I Remember Clifford, Bluesette, Whisper Not, etc.) with a couple of sidetracks. It is a lovely sound and a tight band with everyone contributing. Recommended.
Review: Paris Move, AllAboutJazz
Anthony Stanco – In The Groove: Live At The Alluvion (OA2 Records, release 10/17/2025). Anthony Stanco – trumpet, Randy Napoleon – guitar, Xavier Davis – piano, John Webber – bass, Joe Farnsworth – drums.
Michigan-based trumpeter Anthony Stanco is back with the quintet from his previous release (Stanco’s Time, previewed 06/10/2023) but with John Webber on bass this time in lieu of Rodney Whitaker. This live date bubbles with fierce hard bop and deserves a listen.
Review: Paris Move, Jazz Weekly
Maja Jaku – Blessed and Bewitched(Origin Records 82934, released 10/17/2025). Michael Rodriguez – trumpet, Alan Bartuš – piano, Dezron Douglas – bass, Johnathan Blake – drums, Maja Jaku – vocals with Adrian Varady – drums/percussion. 2025-0219 – 0220 Maja Jaku-01
Montenegrin-born, Vienna-based singer Maja Jaku has enlisted a first-rate ensemble including trumpeter Michael Rodriguez (John Ellis, Carlos Henriquez Miguel Zenón), bassist Deron Douglas (Johnathan Blake, Lauren Henderson, Jimmy Greene) and drummer Johnathan Blake (My Life Matters, previewed 09/22/2025). The program is a mix of originals and comfortable standards. Jaku has an expressive voice with a breathy delivery.
Review: Paris Move
Jerry Weldon – The Summit (Cellar Music, release 10/10/2025). Alonzo Demetrius – trumpet, Peter Lin – trombone, Jerry Weldon – tenor saxophone, Mike Bond – piano, Jason Clotter – bass, Carmen Intorre Jr. – drums.
Veteran tenor saxophonist Jerry Weldon has assembled a classic trumpet – trombone – tenor sextet for a program of two originals, covers of Lee Morgan, Gigi Gryce and Wayne Shorter, plus three from the Great American Songbook. These players cook like a vintage edition of the Jazz Messengers (after whom they are clearly modeled). Recommended.
Review: AllAboutJazz
Stevie Holland – Talk To Your Tomatoes (150 Music, released 10/10/2025). Sam Hoyt – trumpet / flugelhorn, Mike Fahie – trombone, Chet Doxas – alto saxophone, Matthew Sheens – piano, Bern Monder – guitar, Matt Aranoff – bass, Jeff Davis – drums, Stevie Holland – vocals)
Vocalist Stevie Holland delivers a set of four originals plus six jazz and pop standards with a piano trio augmented by a trumpet – trombone – alto front line on three tunes. Guitarist Ben Monder guests on three selections including a lovely duet with Holland on Round Midnight.
Review: Broadway World
Charles Mingus – Mingus At Monterey (Candid Records, release 10/10/2025). Lonnie Hillyer – trumpet, Charles McPherson – alto saxophone, Jaki Byard – piano, Charles Mingus – bass / piano, Dannie Richmond – drums with Bobby Bryant – trumpet, Melvin Moore – trumpet, Lou Blackburn – trombone, Red Callendar – tuba, Buddy Collette – flute / piccolo / alto saxophone, Jack Nimitz – bass clarinet / baritone saxophone, John Handy – tenor saxophone.
There is a gap in the Mingus discography between 1964 and 1970 with only the later release of Mingus at UCLA recorded at the end of 1965 in between. This reissued live recording from the Monterey Jazz Festival in September of 1964 marks the beginning of the drought. In this period, Mingus was joined in his rhythm section with Jaki Byard on piano and, of course, Dannie Richmond on drums. The front line was a variable and this one is excellent – Charles McPherson on alto and Lonnie Hillyer on trumpet. Of the quintet, only McPherson is still alive – and he is still playing with ferocity! The highlight is a six-part Ellington suite, consistent with Mingus’s reverence for the Duke. Seven additional horns come on stage for a long form composition that doesn’t seem completely cooked to close the set. Historically important and recommended.
Margherita Fava – Murrina (Self Produced, release 10/03/2025). Bob Reynolds – tenor saxophone, Margherita Fava – piano, Taber Gable – synths, Jeff Babko – synths, Brandon Rose – upright bass / electric bass, Jonathan Barber – drums.
Italian-born pianist Margherita Fava helms a solid trio in a set of seven originals and one cover each of Duke Ellington and James Williams on her sophomore effort. Tenor saxophonist Bob Reynolds of Snarky Pub enlivens one selection as do synthesizer players Taber Gable and Jeff Babko on another.
Review: The Jazz Word, Paris Move, Jazz Weekly, Making A Scene
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Russell Perry
Jazz at 100 Now!
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