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.
Geri Allen & Kurt Rosenwinkler - A Lovesome Thing - Motema
A Lovesome Thing is the one-and-only recorded collaboration between jazz greats Geri Allen and Kurt Rosenwinkel, which took place live at the famed Philharmonie de Paris on September 5, 2012. The two play as if with one mind. Geri spoke often of her desire to do a studio recording to document the ‘flow and freedom” she experienced playing with Kurt that night in Paris. Unfortunately, we lost her before that date ever materialized, but fortunately, that concert was recorded. Produced by Kurt Rosenwinkel and Motema’s Jana Herzen, A Lovesome Thing is warmly dedicated to Geri’s memory. This album is truly a ‘lovesome thing’ for fans of Geri, of Kurt, and of piano and guitar jazz fans at large.
Eva Cortes - La Malinche - Truth Revolution Records
La Malinche is a record born from urgency. From ICE raids and systemic racism to abuse of power and erased histories, this album is Eva Cortés singing back—loudly, rhythmically, and without apology. She calls it “Protest meets Rhythm”: music as vindication, memory, and collective dance floor. The title references La Malinche, the Indigenous woman enslaved during the Spanish conquest who became translator, survivor, and mother of the first mestizo child recorded in colonial chronicles. Cortés reclaims her not as a traitor, but as a symbol of resilience, forced hybridity, and Indigenous endurance. From Ushuaia (Argentina) to Utqiagvik (Alaska), the album insists on a radical truth: despite borders, colonization, and attempts at erasure, the Indigenous peoples of the Americas are one continuum—alive, strong, and still reclaiming their destiny. Musically, La Malinche blends jazz with flamenco, Afro-Latin and Indigenous influences. The result is music that invites you to dance, think, and stand up at the same time. At its core, La Malinche isn’t about nostalgia or victimhood. It’s about joy as resistance, rhythm as survival, and music as a place where history, protest, and hope move together.
Lakecia Benjamin - We Dream - Artwork Records
We Dream is the new studio album by New York–based alto saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Lakecia Benjamin. Conceived as a deeply band-driven project, her sixth album and Artwork Records debut centers on Benjamin’s frequent collaborators in pianists Oscar Pérez and Miki Hayama and bassist Elias Bailey — along with new associates in trumpeter Sean Jones, and drummer Jonathan Barber — alongside an expansive cast of guest collaborators drawn from across jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and experimental music. We Dream reflects what Benjamin describes as a shift in perspective — a response to the present moment and the world around her. “I started thinking about the idea of being a bright light in a dark space. Things feel really dark right now — everywhere — and we’re trying to be that light.” Rather than assembling guests for ornamentation, Benjamin approached the project as a collective statement, bringing together artists she admires for their capacity to evolve, innovate, and reshape musical language.
New Jazz Underground - Hoodies - Artwork Records
The jazz trio, especially the chordless jazz trio, has long been a genre staple, and has historically provided a vehicle for the boldest of musicians to venture forth and explore new territory. New Jazz Underground (“NJU”), a viral internet sensation of a trio comprising saxophonist/vocalist Abdias Armenteros, bassist Sebastian Rios, and drummer T.J. Reddick has been lauded for this very thing. Described by NPR Music as “classy and classic,” NJU are a group of musicians who “clearly know the jazz tradition but push at the corners of hard bop and hip-hop.” (NPR, 2024). Assembled during the COVID-19 pandemic to perform in open-air spaces as a way to cope and survive, the trio quickly became a powerhouse of three unified minds whose history-crossing sensibilities took the hearts and minds of their listeners, both in-person and across the internet, by storm. Now, after having performed, as the band poignantly states, “from the streets all the way to the stage of Newport Jazz Festival” in the span of only a few years, NJU releases “Hoodies” on May 29, an homage to brotherhood, culture, and identity.
Dave Penn - Next Step - CreativeTone
Next Step is an extraordinary new album from Bassist David Penn that exemplifies his continued trajectory in the jazz world as an artist and composer. The album is a follow-up to his debut album Back On Track which was well received and initiated his musical resurgence. David composed all but one of the songs on this album which musically captures his lifelong musical experience. His group, CreativeTone, consists of vocalist Raquel Lozano, saxophonist Fareed Mahluli, pianist Joel Stewart, and drummer Tracy Williams. The group clearly comes through as a cohesive unit that provides clarity and authenticity to the music that connects with the listener in a special way. The arrangements breathe with intention, allowing each instrument to occupy its own space while cleverly contributing to a cohesive whole. Raquel’s vocals on “Sunrise” and “You Are The One For Me” are icing on the cake to an album that provides the listener with a wonderful overall musical experience.
Eliane Elias - AO VIVO - Candid Records
Captured in its entirety during a singular night at the SFJAZZ Center’s Miner Auditorium, AO VIVO is an intimate and vibrant portrait of multi-GRAMMY® winner Eliane Elias in her element. Performing alongside her stellar quartet—guitarist Leandro Pellegrino, drummer Rafael Barata, and bassist Marc Johnson—Elias delivers a masterclass in the rich rhythmic spectrum of Brazil, from high-octane samba and bossa nova to baião and Afro-Brazilian grooves. The repertoire draws from Elias’s GRAMMY-winning and nominated discography featuring works by iconic composers like Antonio Carlos Jobim, Ary Barroso, and Dorival Caymmi, the album also highlights Elias’s own evocative composition “At First Sight” and a piece by the celebrated Armando Manzanero. Elias continues to define the intersection of jazz brilliance and classical sophistication. AO VIVO captures the unmistakable elegance and exhilarating energy of a world-class artist sharing an authentic, high-level musical dialogue with a live audience.
Bobby Broom - Notes of Thanks - Steele Records
Notes of Thanks is a studio reunion of sorts for guitarist Bobby Broom’s working trio, who haven’t recorded a full album as a standalone unit since 2009’s Bobby Broom Plays for Monk. But more than that, Broom expresses gratitude to Sonny Rollins who he worked alongside for eleven years of his career saying, “I wanted to thank Sonny while he’s here.” It’s a rich and remarkable thank you. Broom continues to unfurl solos that have dubbed him as “one of the most musical guitarists of our times.” Carroll, and Watkins complete this “trio of undeniable chemistry,” offering up a few of Rollins’s best-known compositions (“Doxy,” “Alfie’s Theme,” and “Pent-Up House”), along with a handful of his eclectic, lesser-known tunes. With a clever nod to the saxophone trio pioneer, Notes of Thanks is an extraordinary homage to and by extraordinary musicians.
Mark Winkler - Love Comes First - Cafe Pacific Records
In his own words: “I imagined “Love Comes First” in a ‘50s jazz club… The video is a dream created with AI—but the voice, the song, and the love behind it are real. Hope you feel it. It’s an original song I co-wrote with Dori Amarilio who also arranged, produced, mixed and played guitar on the track. The other musicians are Nando Raio on bass, Mike Branley on drums, Rique Pantoja on piano and Mike Stevers on fluegelhorn. It’s the title song of my new album.”