Roderick Harper - Confidence - RHM Entertainment
Roderick Harper Announces New Jazz Album, CONFIDENCE, set for January 12, 2026 release on RHM Entertainment. Roderick Harper, celebrated vocalist and recording artist, proudly unveils his newest album, Confidence. This new album is a testament to Harper’s soulful artistry and personal journey, blending beautiful rhythms and melodies with heartfelt lyrics. The listener can expect a rich musical experience that continues Harper’s tradition of delivering both elegance and emotion. Stay tuned for more updates and pre-save the album on all major streaming platforms.
Noah Preminger - Dark Days - Criss Cross
Although winter solstice was imminent when Noah Preminger was preparing to record his fourth Criss Cross session last December, diminishing daylight was not the reason for the album’s title. Rather, “Dark Days” reflects the eminent tenor saxophonist’s overall state of mind in 2024. “I was deep in hell,” he says, reflecting on a year when he experienced chronic health issues (since resolved) and a divorce. “It was a dark time.” Throughout the year, Preminger could count on an opportunity “to wash away the dust of everyday life,” as Art Blakey once put it, at his weekly Friday-Saturday engagement at Wally’s Jazz Café in Boston, where he performed and developed the tunes that appear on this kinetic, conversational, virtuosically executed quartet recital. “I’ve led a group at Wally’s since 2021, when they reopened after the pandemic,” Preminger says. “It’s important because so many people go to school in Boston, and it’s a place where everybody can come and hang out and play and develop their thing. It’s been a great outlet for me to play and workshop new material as I write it. And getting to play twice a week is unheard-of.” Line up: Noah Preminger (tenor saxophone) / Kim Cass (bass) / Terreon Gully (drums) / Ely Perlman (piano)
Lisa Hilton - Extended Daydream - Ruby Slippers Productions
The Lisa Hilton Quintet returns with Extended Daydream. The award-winning composer and acclaimed pianist generously shares the spotlight with her stellar bandmates on eleven standout tracks. In a natural and genre-fluid approach, Hilton seamlessly combines the renowned 1959 cool jazz classic So What by Miles Davis alongside the 2024 tune Wildflower by singer/songwriter Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell, as well as nine of her own compositions. If a daydream is a hopeful or insightful experience, the arc of Extended Daydream does extend hope and beauty along with a wallop of improvisational energy and style. Long a composer and pianist to watch, Hilton triumphs with this new genre fluid collection of cool jazz. PERSONNEL: LISA HILTON – PIANO, J.D. ALLEN – SAX, IGMAR THOMAS – TRUMPET, RUDY ROYSTON – DRUMS, LUQUES CURTIS – BASS
Gregory Groover Jr - Old Knew - Criss Cross
Old Knew is Gregory Groover Jr’s follow-up to his 2024 Criss Cross debut, Lovabye. On Old Knew, Groover addresses similarly inspired repertoire from a different angle, eliciting collective kineticism and creative spirit from a pan-generational A-list quintet, comprising Ross, the nonpareil 30-year-old vibraphonist; Paul Cornish, the 20-something pianist; and the glorious drummer Kendrick Scott and bass provocateur Harish Raghavan. There’s also a theme on this record, but I wanted the energy to feel different, less about the written composition and the mood, and more about the interaction and my playing.” Towards that aspiration, Groover wrote or arranged another 11 pieces tailored to the idiosyncratic tonal personalities of his bandmates, who color and characterize the music.