Rick Braun – Rick Braun Plays Chuck Mangione – Brauntosoarus Music
On Rick Braun Plays Chuck Mangione, Braun performs every track on the same Couesnon flugelhorn he played as a student at the Eastman School of Music. The collection offers a fresh, joyous revisit of iconic melodies, featuring an extraordinary roster of collaborators, including original Mangione guitarist Grant Geissman, saxophonists Richard Elliot and Tom Scott, keyboardist Philippe Saisse, and flutist Steve Kujala. From the soaring orchestration of “Land of Make Believe” to an amped-up “Feels So Good,” Braun balances technical mastery with reverence. Lead single “Give It All You Got” was produced with Philippe Saisse. This “funky from the get-go” interpretation of Mangione’s second Billboard Hot 100 hit is highlighted by a powerhouse sax solo from the great Tom Scott. Describing the album as a labor of love that truly “took him over,” Braun captures the “overwhelming sense of happiness” that defined Mangione’s impact, marking an auspicious and emotional start to his fourth decade of recording.
Zaccai Curtis – Sonoluminescence Vol 1 – TRRcollective
GRAMMY-winning pianist and composer, Zaccai Curtis, returns with Sonoluminescence Vol. 1. The record marks a distinct turn in Curtis’s artistic evolution which finds him evolving from the Afro-Cuban focus of his GRAMMY-winning Cubop Lives! into a wider sonic landscape, rooted in the textures and grooves of 1970s jazz and funk while pushing confidently into modern territory. One of the hallmarks of Curtis’s compositional approach on this record is his method of placing traditional Afro-Caribbean rhythmic concepts in unexpected parts of the ensemble. Cascara and montuno figures are relocated into the bass line, freeing the piano to focus on harmony and melody and the drums to function more openly around the groove. The result is music that is rhythmically intricate beneath the surface while remaining natural and grounded on top.
John Clayton – Two-O-Duo – Artist Share
Two-o Duo, John Clayton’s eighth album as a leader, brings together bassist, composer, and educator John Clayton with vocalist René Marie and pianist Gerald Clayton. Rooted in the intimacy of duo playing, the album explores a wide range of material across eras and traditions, from Roy Orbison and Carole King to Duke Ellington, Harold Arlen, Billy Joel, and original compositions by Gerald Clayton and René Marie. What began as a duo-centered studio project grew organically into select trio performances, capturing the unspoken connection between close musical collaborators. The result is warm, direct, and deeply personal: music shaped by family, friendship, trust, and the space between artists who listen closely to one another. Dedicated to the late engineer Joel Moss, Two-o Duo stands as a tribute to enduring creative bonds and the intimate conversation between artist and listener.
Nicole Zuraitis - The Devil I Knew - NicoleZMusic
The Devil I Knew is the seventh album from 2X Grammy-winning vocalist, pianist, and songwriter Nicole Zuraitis — a cinematic, five-part concept album exploring self-reckoning, accountability, and emotional agency through the lens of a collapsing love story. Blending jazz virtuosity with literary inspiration and deeply personal songwriting, the album unfolds across five thematic movements — The Mirror, The Martyr, The Malediction, The Reckoning, and The Requiem — each connected through poetry by iconic female writers including Dorothy Parker, Emily Dickinson, Edna St. Vincent Millay and Francis Ellen Watkins Harper. The album positions Zuraitis within a burgeoning New Romanticism in jazz — music that is lush, literary, emotionally expansive, and unapologetically human in an age that keeps asking us to be smaller, quieter, and easier to process.
The Paul Carlon Trio - Between Us Three - TRR Collective
Triple threat saxophonist/composer/arranger Paul Carlon’s second trio release highlights the intensely intimate conversation between three virtuosic musicians speaking the language of Jazz and Afro-Caribbean music traditions. Featured on congas and percussion is Grammy-nominee Chembo Corniel, and on bass, the masterful Alex “Apolo” Ayala. Both bandleaders in their own right, Corniel and Ayala bring deep knowledge, feel, and passion to the music, as well as the desire to amplify their instruments’ respective roles. Carlon’s absorption of the Jazz tenor tradition is on full display through his horn’s deep and soulful tone, his rhythmic adventurousness, and his willingness to expand on the Sonny Rollins-inspired tenor trio. Highlights include the driving original cha-cha “Papasito Rides Again”, the epic reimagining of Woody Shaw’s “Katrina Ballerina” over a Cuban Abakua rhythm, and Carlon’s tribute to his late sister Meg, the danzón “Baile M”.
Gabriel Mark Hasselbach - Mid Century Modern Vol 4 - Windtunnel Records
MidCentury Modern Vol. 4 is a 20-track powerhouse — the culmination of a lifelong journey to leave the unmistakable mark of a highly decorated professional player on the tracks he loves most. Gabriel Mark Hasselbach honed his sound on the legendary recordings of the Blue Note and CTI eras, crafting a heartfelt homage to major influences like Blue Mitchell, Freddie Hubbard, Chet Baker, and Miles Davis, while also shining a light on underrated masters such as Carmell Jones and Joe Gordon. Impossible to categorize, the trumpeter, flutist, flugelhorn and valve trombone player — who also lends his voice as a singer — channels the hard swinging, groove-driven spirit of jazz from the ’50s, ’60s, and early ’70s with authenticity and style. There are 5 bonus tracks (16-20) online at all DSPs that did not fit on the physical CD.
Michael Eckroth Minas Messengers - New Paths - TRR Collective
Truth Revolution Recording Collective is proud to announce the June 19 release of New Paths, the latest album from pianist and composer Michael Eckroth and his Minas Messengers. Recorded in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, the album is the product of a Fulbright Scholar residency and draws on the folkloric Congado traditions of Minas Gerais, finding the intersection of these cultural forms with jazz improvisation, Brazilian popular music, and Eckroth’s personal compositional voice. The album features longtime collaborators and new musical connections, including bassist and co-producer Eneias Xavier, guitarist Magno Alexandre, drummer Cyrano Almeida, percussionist Talles Bibiano, and special guest, Minas guitar legend Toninho Horta.
Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra - Ellington Masterworks - MCG Jazz
The variety that characterized the abundant composition legacy of Duke Ellington is masterfully captured on this eight-selection program that is bookended by two compositions from 1940, “The Flaming Sword,” a Latin swing tune and “Jack the Bear,” most noted for the bass work of the legendary Jimmy Blanton on the original recording. In between are a couple of stand-alone numbers, “Tattooed Bride” and “Shepherd.” There are two pieces inspired by the world-wide travels of the Ellington band, “Ad Lib on Nipon” that grew out of a 1964 tour in Japan, and “Oclupaca,” part of the Latin American Suite. The other selection came from Such Sweet Thunder, the suite that was inspired by the works of Shakespeare, the selection here being “Madness in the Great Ones,” a take on the story of Hamlet. The informative liner notes by Thomas Cunniffe provide wonderful background and analysis of each selection. The execution by the band of these demanding charts is exactly what the material demands.
Shuteen Erdenebaatar and Nils Kugelmann - Under the Same Stars - Motema
German Jazz Prize winners Shuteen Erdenebaatar (a Motéma artist and a Downbeat 2025 Critics Poll Rising Star Artist of the Year) and Nils Kugelmann (a celebrated ACT Music artist) converge on Under the Same Stars, a captivating duo album blending jazz, classical, and cinematic music into a poetic and thrilling musical adventure. This exquisite follow-up to Erdenebaatar’s breakout debut, Rising Sun, pairs her evocative piano with Kugelmann’s rare contra alto clarinet, creating an intimate and unexpected sonic palette. As partners in both life and sound, their natural chemistry has been honed through over 300 performances since they first met in 2020, including more than 100 concerts across Europe and Asia in the past year alone. The album features original compositions by both artists. Highlights include the luminous “Mirror Under Water,” the joyous “Tiny Wonders,” and “What Will Remain,” a Kugelmann ballad that features the haunting sound of the Morin Khuur (Mongolia’s iconic horsehead fiddle), as well as Erdenebaatar’s gorgeous “Whispers Beyond Time”, featuring special guest Jakob Manz on alto recorder. Drawing inspiration from celestial mythology of Erdenebaatar’s Mongolian homeland, Under the Same Stars is the second volume in a trilogy Erdenbaatar is releasing via the Grammy-winning Motéma Music label. It showcases two remarkable young artists whose musical connection is both intuitive and profound.
Django Festival Allstars - Evolution - Motema
Django Festival Allstars: EVOLUTION is a dazzling, high-octane audiophile studio album of striking new gypsy jazz compositions. Celebrating 25 years of the historic Django Reinhardt NY Festival—where the Allstars first united in 2002—the album captures one of jazz’s most exhilarating ensembles at full power. The group both honors and expands the legacy of Reinhardt and Grappelli’s “Gypsy Swing,” the sound that electrified Paris in the 1930’s and ’40’s and is now enjoying a global resurgence. Core members Samson Schmitt (guitar), Ludovic Beier (accordion/accordina), and Pierre Blanchard (violin) shine not only as from within this astonishingly cohesive quintet, but also as virtuosic jazz soloists and composers of the highest order. EVOLUTION is more than a celebration—it’s a statement of artistic growth, a testament to enduring legacy, and a thrilling glimpse into the future of gypsy jazz.