‘Sweet, Sweet Spirit’ is a new studio album from legendary jazz bassist Ron Carter and gospel icon Ricky Dillard, containing a selection of Carter’s mother’s favourite hymns. Starting with Open My Eyes , this album celebrates contemporary gospel choir music with energy and passion with Carter’s bass and Dillard’s choir. The influences from jazz are clear in each track with Carter’s stunning bass lines. And if you’re not sure where you’ve heard Carter’s bass before, check out some of the classic Miles Davis tunes of the 1960s - it’s right there. Listen especially to the opening phrases of In The Garden , where that bass shines in praise. Sweet, Sweet Spirit  is a deeply personal project for Ron Carter in memory of his late mother, Mrs. Willie O. Carter, whose favorite hymns shaped the musical foundation of the Carter household and the Detroit church community where they worshipped. When Mrs Carter approached the end, her family asked Ron to arrange and record ten of her favourite hymns and Ricky Dillard was engaged to work on the project and produce this stunning collection of jazz-gospel arrangements. Ron Carter said: “I think that when this music is released, I predict that it will open up a lot more doors to people's hearts, unifying them.” Get your copy of Sweet, Sweet Spirit  on Blue Note Records now.

Although fairly new to the jazz scene, West Side Jazz  is presenting an impressive selection of British musicians of note. None more so than their February offering of the understated yet virtuoso saxist Alan Barnes . Barron, Barnes, Mark and Tandy @rw_crowley Barnes has been a fixture of UK jazz for many years, and he never fails to impress, in a very understated way. At West Side Jazz, he rarely brought his instrument (clarinet, alto or baritone sax) right up to the microphone. He didn’t need to, as the acoustics of the cinema screening room seemed perfectly suited to the rhythm section/soloist combination. The PA helped, but there was a feeling of immediacy and direct connection to the delighted near-capacity audience. On stage with Barnes were Rob Barron (piano), Tom Mark (bass) and Dave Tandy (drums) and the seemingly-effortless swapping of melody and improvisations between them was dynamic and seamless. Barnes on clarinet @rw_crowley Throughout the evening of impressive jazz performed brilliantly by the quartet, Barnes engaged easily and wittily with the audience. The two sets (not the 11, as Barnes once promised us) included jazz standards and originals that were sometimes surprising. Kenny Barron’s Voyage  has a notoriously tricky chord progression that was handled with dexterity, as was Charlie Parker’s Steeplechase . Barnes’s approach to ballads sat well with the whole ensemble, such as on the Ellington ballad Tonight I Shall Sleep (With a Smile on My Face)  and the gorgeous Lane/Freed How About You?  Their version of Billy Strayhorn’s Chelsea Bridge  employed the Barnes baritone to great effect - I’m fairly sure it’s a tune I heard the great Gerry Mulligan play in similar expressive fashion when he visited London in the 1980s. Established in May 2024 and hosted at the Campus West Cinema in Welwyn Garden City, there are big plans for the second anniversary gig. The brand new West Side Jazz Orchestra will feature some big names, especially from the UK’s thriving big band scene. You’re going to want to get your tickets soon  for this one. West Side Jazz was created by drummer Dave Tandy, who can often be found performing at other prestigious venues around the UK, including Ronnie Scott’s. The monthly sessions in Welwyn’s independent cinema are testament to his hard work in booking musicians, organising the PA and equipment required and generally hosting a jazz venue at a time when the economics of musical performance are tricky, to say the least. If you’re anywhere close to Hertfordshire at the start of each month, then check out what’s on offer from West Side Jazz  - you will be glad you did. Alan Barnes on alto @rw_crowley

Maria Schneider  is a true musical genius and it was such an honour that I was able to interview her for Harmonious World  in 2020. Now she has released a new EP - ‘American Crow’ - that is an extension of her wonderful album ‘Data Lords’. Schneider says: “Every time I hear my band play, I witness the magic of listening. A true jazz improvisor thrives on listening ... Jazz shines a light on what we are allowing to slip away in our brittle and fractured world, making our art form more relevant today than ever before.“ American Crow  is an extension of my double album, Data Lords . It speaks to the toxicity of our present social discourse that’s devolved into an impenetrable knot of curated rage. We crow about each other incessantly, having lost almost any ability or wish to really listen and understand those with whom we disagree.”  As usual for Schneider’s work, the musicians are impeccable. The title track features Mike Rodriguez on trumpet and, of course, the whole ensemble shines, with texture that demonstrates the composition and orchestration genius. Data Lords was a truly extraordinary piece of work that nearly got lost in the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, but nevertheless won Grammy awards as Large Jazz Ensemble Album, while the track Sputnik  won Best Instrumental Composition. Now, on American Crow , Schneider reimagines A World Lost  as a remarkable feature for the guitar. If the image of crows is not enough to make us all think about how we use our voices in the modern age, a field recording of crows segues into an alternate take of the title track. And, as if this music isn’t perfect as it is, the physical design of the EP by Cheri Dorr includes original commissioned artwork by Aaron Horkey, who also painted the leaf for Data Lords .  Schneider is fiercely vocal about the ‘data lords’ who control creative work. American Crow  is being made, funded and documented through ArtistShare®, the world’s first direct-to-fan funding platform, which Schneider first used in 2003. This is her seventh ArtistShare® project. Schneider says: “My hope is that every aspect of this release, visual and aural, will make us all question whether we want to untangle ourselves from the knot of curated rage ravaging our society. I hope it makes one ask, ‘Can I find it in myself to listen and engage in respectful conversation to someone I disagree with? Can I be vulnerable enough to ask questions rather than preaching and yelling? Can I envision being courageous enough to taking that first step that opens the door, possibly inviting a reciprocal open ear from someone with whom I disagree? Can I embrace in my daily life the attributes that have made jazz great.’"   Discover Maria Schneider’s American Crow  on ArtistShare®

I love it when music is combined with the spoken word and there’s a beautiful selection of poetic monologues that accompany each of the movements of ‘The Forgotten Stories Suite’ from the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra . Composed by multi-instrumentalist Sean Irvine , the album allows the orchestra to range around emotional personal stories, with vocals from Karly Epp and narration of the monologues from Quinn Greene. The opening Forgotten Stories  monologue introduces us to the concept of the lives of individuals and the following Prologue - Study in Shades of Palo Santo  brings us large ensemble playing and brief solos that begin to express individuality. The poetry - Two Brothers, Longing for Texas, A King & His Castle, May He Rest  - give an insight into lives of which we may only gain a brief understanding. The following movements take the tone set by the poetry and bring it to musical life. They each - Nightmare, Texas, A Perfect Castle, Harold  - include vocals alongside the large ensemble vista and individual improvisation. The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra (WJO) is Canada’s first community-based, non-profit professional jazz orchestra and a cornerstone of Winnipeg’s cultural life. Founded in 1997, the ensemble is led by celebrated artistic director and conductor Richard Gillis, whose vision has helped shape the WJO into a dynamic, artist-driven force. Irvine says: “I want this album to speak for itself – to amplify the voices of a community of people who take each day in stride and have lived lives of solitude, grappling for love and freedom. Much like the experience of walking through an art gallery, I hope you will look deeply into the portraits of these folk's stories and see how each line, shade, and brushstroke speaks to a greater good. For if music can make us feel something, it provides an avenue for connection and empathy.” The ‘Forgotten Stories Suite’ is available on Bandcamp .

The joyous nature of jazz comes to the fore with vibes-supremo Joel Ross ’s release ‘Gospel Music’ on Blue Note Records. Ross’s fifth Blue Note album, there’s a reason this musician continues to perform at the top of his game: the intricacy of writing and performing on the opening track - Wisdom is Eternal (for Barry Harris)  - weaves sounds in and out of each other that is almost mesmerising. Watch the official video  and it’s even more breathtaking as the melody wanders between the instruments. The whole album takes faith and the bible and delivers a message of hope and love through music. It features a sextet version of Ross’s Good Vibes band alongside the leader’s vibrophone: Josh Johnson (alto sax), Maria Grand (tenor sax), Jeremy Corren (piano), Kanoa Mendenhall (bass) and Jeremy Dutton (drums). Ross’s compositions often create a groove that uses the ensemble as a whole to set the tone, before his vibes take the improvisation and open it up for others. Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)  canters along with a complexity that nevertheless allows individual solos to shine. Gospel Music  uses jazz to tell the biblical story of creation, the fall, and salvation, corresponding to biblical texts that Ross includes in the liner notes. At the center of it is the desire that we meditate on the meaning of the ultimate sacrifice that defines a faith in Christ that calls on its practitioners to love God and others. Ross makes sound a meditative space that allows the band to reflect on each other’s playing. He says: “If there's anything I do talk to the band about, it's about that, making sure we're making space for everyone and supporting everyone. Because that's what we're supposed to do. He says of the album: “This is probably the boldest example of trying to share what I believe is the good news as well as in homage to where I'm coming from.” If you listen to one track, make it The Giver,  which takes lyrics from the James Baldwin poem The Giver (for Berdis)  sung by Andy Louis. Less complex than many of the other tracks, the simplicity brings clarity to the message. Complexity, meditation and Ross’s faith all come together in jazz that encourages us to stand aside from the world and listen. Whatever each one of us takes from Gospel Music  seems deeply rooted in faith and the sounds of a Chicago church as well as a collaborative recording studio. Check out Joel Ross live if you can while he’s touring  the US and Europe this spring.

Guitarist, songwriter and producer Cory Wong brings absolute funk in his collaborations on ‘Lost in the Wonder’, his joyous latest studio album. This is one of those albums that makes me glad I’m not a jazz purist. Tunes like these blend the best in modern ‘pop’ music that takes the listener through funk, jazz and a bit of rock. One of the most impressive things about Lost in the Wonder  is the collection of musicians Wong brings to the studio, including Taylor Hanson, Devon Gilfillian, Stephen Day, Cody Fry, Yam Haus, Louis Cato, Ellis, Elysia Biro, Benny Sings, Theo Katzman, and Magic City Hippies. What’s more, Wong will be out on tour with his own outfit through 2026, as well as headlining London’s O2 Arena on 8 July with Vulfpeck . There is a real exuberance to Lost in the Wonder , with Wong’s guitar and song-writing chops shining through. Stay with Me  is pure funk pop featuring vocals from Stephen Day and then along comes Day a few tracks later with Tongue Tied : rhythmically and melodically that fusion of funk and jazz which just makes you want to dance. Not only are the songs great on Lost in the Wonder,  but arrangements combine Wong’s guitar, electronics and live instruments in sympathetic combination, especially on tracks like The Big Payoff  (lovely bass clarinet!) and the title track with vocals from Benny Sings.Wong says: “There are lots of sides to me as an artist. A lot of people know me as a guitar guy, or even more specifically, ‘rhythm guitar guy’. That’s an accurate description, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. I see the guitar as just one of the avenues for my music and creativity. It’s been an absolute joy to develop and form a signature sound as a guitarist, but a huge part of my artistry is in my production, writing, arranging, band-leading. I’ve worked on and honed those skills just as much as my guitar playing, so I wanted to make an album that really showcased that side of my creative expression. Does that mean there’s less guitar on this album than on others? No! It’s actually quite the opposite. I feel like some of my best guitar work is done on this album. There’s everything from my classic rhythm guitar sound to multiple layers of orchestrally arranged guitar to blistering solos when the music calls for it.” This is an album to dance around the kitchen to. Lost in the Wonder  is out on Roundwound Media on 3 February 2026.

It’s always a pleasure when artists send me their music directly, and that was certainly true when pianist Harald Walkate, from The New York Second sent me the ensemble’s new album - ‘Cafe Madrid’. Early in 2025, I reviewed the ensemble’s last album - Room for Other People  and Cafe Madrid  opens up the octet from that album into a spacious, pared-down quartet. Harald’s piano is joined once more by Rob Waring (vibraphone), Lorenzo Buffa (double bass) and Max Sergeant (drums). Removing the top line allows these four to really shine and the vibes/piano combination is particularly effective. Cafe Madrid , this sixth album from The New York Second again takes Harald’s compositions across fine European jazz. The title track particularly sounds both Spanish and American with a hint of the ambience of a cafe somewhere in Europe. When the vibes/piano sound eases off to allow Buffa’s bass to solo, there is ease and comfort in abundance. Throughout the album, Harald’s personality shines through, even as he allows Waring’s vibraphone to rise to the start. The Lost Christmas  has an air of that holiday and cold, snowy nights, with the bell-like vibes floating above the piano melody. But it is on Now It’s Just You and Me  that hear the piano/vibes pairing at its best. Clearly composed specifically for this recording session, it has an endearing quality that allows both musicians space to explore their interactions. Closing Cafe Madrid  with Grow Your Own Quiet Fortune  brings back the frenetic and energetic quartet with some gorgeous slapping bass strings and intricate drum rhythms that balance the melodic improvisations of vibes and piano. Harald invites us to hunker down and enjoy this “melancholy yet uplifting” collection of tunes: “This music is to be savored late at night, with a glass of whisky and a good set of headphones.” Cafe Madrid  is out on TNY2 Records  on 7 February 2026

The musician-led Stoney-Lane Records  always delivers new and interesting music and once again they have introduced me to a new artist - composer, pianist and vocalist Lucy Mellenfield . If you want somewhere to start, I recommend the gradual build-up of layers on Like a Feather  before the track finishes once more on nearly-solo piano. From the opening notes, this songwriting and composition flits effortlessly between jazz and folk - and who needs to put music in genre boxes any more? This is painfully, heart-wrenchingly auto-biographical writing that nevertheless succeeds in becoming universal. Taking the symbol of a feather from the opening track, Tell the Water, She Will Listen  turns over and again towards nature, including in Orange and Lemons , which enlightens on the subject of love and remarks on “hillsides”, “valleys” and “clifftops”. Combining acoustic instruments and controlled electronics, production by the talented Chris Hyson (well-known for his work with artists like Jordan Rakei and Rosie-Frater-Taylor) and great performances from the whole ensemble make this album worthy of more than a single listen. The final, poetic At the Mercy part II  brings Tell the Water, She Will Listen  to a captivating, huge conclusion as Mellenfield’s vocals soar above an ensemble that embraces the wildness of nature and the human condition. As well as her insistent and incisive vocals, Lucy Mellenfield composed all the tracks and also performs on grand piano, upright piano, rhodes, keyboards, synths and acoustic guitar. Alongside her on this album are Tom Henery (guitar), Alex Collett-Sinfield (tenor sax, alto sax, kalimba, flute, mandolin, acoustic guitar), Josh Vadiveloo (bass), Jonno Gaze (drums, percussion) and Chris Hyson (synths, producer). Lucy says: “ Tell the Water, She Will Listen  is an album that pinpoints moments in my early twenties where I have been at my most vulnerable. I have faced fears, battled with relationships, fallen in love, seen loved ones suffer, revisited childhood trauma, experienced health scares, and have raised questions about the frightening society we live in. For me, songs are a saving grace. They unravel this scroll of feelings and thoughts that would otherwise linger in knots within me.” Follow Lucy Mellenfield and buy Tell the Water, She Will Listen  on Bandcamp

I love it when an album hits my ears and delivers exactly what it promises: the funk on Wes Smith’s ‘We, the Funky (volume 1)’ starts strong from the first notes of the title track. Smith is a saxist, composer, and producer and this new version of his output as bandleader is glorious. He is clearly an impressive composer and performer, with his own contribution on alto and soprano saxes, flute and alto flute, Rhodes piano, synth programming, mixing and editing. He brings with him experience from performing with soul, jazz and pop legends as illustrious as Stevie Wonder, Booker T. Jones and Poncho Sanchez. His improvising is as formidable as his composition and he spars musically with an impressive ensemble that each contribute to different tracks: Christopher Bautista (trumpet), Maurice ‘Mobetta’ Brown (trumpet), Michael Cottone (trumpet), Khrystian Foreman (trombone), Justin Kirk (trombone), Erik Hammer (guitar), Adam Hawley (guitar), Sam Barsh (keys), Frank Abraham (bass), Dimitry Goredetsky (bass) and Donald Barrett (drums). Tracks like Sunrises  set the tone with a brass line melody, playful guitar lines and a funky rhythm section. Smith picks up the alto flute (forgive me if I’m wrong and it’s a concert flute) and transports the listener right to the heart of LA and the sun comes out. That Rhodes piano start to Baby Steps  establishes the groove for more alto flute and trumpet melodies. When the alto sax rejoins the party on Ventura Penthouse, its sound pierces the rhythm section. I have no idea what HDubHiatus means , but the final track has another new mood, with Smith taking to the soprano sax. Smith says: “My time in Los Angeles has been good to me. This record is about the sunshine and joy of that experience - and about the relationships that have made my musical journey so special. I’ve travelled a musical career that’s unique, surprising, modern, and entirely my own. I hope this album feels that way too.” Get hold of some of this formidable funk from Wes Smith on Bandcamp

July’s North Sea Jazz Festival has laid on an incredible line-up to celebrate its 50th anniversary and it’s worth considering taking a trip to Rotterdam. Marcus Miller @Diego Garcia Marquez Number one on my list would be Marcus Miller, with his ‘We Wants Miles’ Reunion Tour 2026, featuring Mike Stern, Bill Evans, Mino Cinelu, Russell Gunn, Brett Williams and Anwar Marshall. Held at Rotterdam’s Ahoy Centre from 10-12 July 2026, first artists announced for NN North Sea Jazz Festival include Cassandra Wilson, Charles Lloyd Quartet, Hiromi's Sonicwonder, Esperanza Spalding, Joshua Redman, Bill Frisell, Jon Batiste, Pat Metheny, Snarky Puppy & Metropole Orkest, Diana Krall, Steve Coleman & Five Elements, Sun Ra Arkestra, The Roots, Adrian Younge, The Isley Brothers, Questlove & Friends, Jalen Ngonda, Annie & The Caldwells. Fifty years ago, on July 16 th  1976, the very first North Sea Jazz Festival opened its doors with six venues, 300 musicians, and around 9000 visitors, and featuring luminaries including Sarah Vaughan, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, and Stan Getz. Since then, the festival has become a cornerstone of international music culture, presenting around 1300 artists across 17 stages to an audience of up to 90,000 each year.   Across three days, NN North Sea Jazz will present more than 150 performances, alongside workshops, interviews, artist signing sessions, showcases for emerging talent and a programme of visual art.   Tickets go on sale Saturday 31 January at 9am GMT https://www.northseajazz.com/nl/

John Vanore ’s ‘Easter Island Suite’ takes the listener on a journey to the little-known landscape that was first discovered by Europeans on East Sunday 1722. Recorded in stages since Philadelphia trumpeter and composer Vanore began composing the four-part suite in 1984, this album inspires the awe one might, presumably, experience first-hand when arriving off the coast of Chile. The album cover features the 1,000 monolithic figures, or moai, that ring its coastline, created by the Rapa Nui people. On his own Easter Sunday experience in 1984, Vanore began writing his suite. He says: “I was home alone, so I started to wonder, ‘What's the loneliest place on Earth?’ And I immediately thought of Easter Island.” Although the first movement, Discovery , was recorded for Abstract Truth ’s 1990 debut album, Blue Route, under the title Easter Island and soon all four movements had begun to take shape. After Discovery , which seems to welcome listeners to the initial view, the second movement - Gods and Devils . It seems to pitch members of the ensemble against each other, while Secret Caves begins with the dark sonority of a bass clarinet melody interspersed with guitar and bass phrases until the higher instruments join in the exploration of the island. The fourth movement is Rano Raraku , named after the volcanic crater whose stone was quarried to create those iconic Easter Island moai. The album comes together as a whole, despite recording dates that stretch over 35 years. Several members of Abstract Truth have remained in the band. The personnel joining Vanore’s trumpet on the Easter Island Suite  include Michael Mee (alto sax and flute), Craig Thomas (bass), Ron Thomas (piano), Bob Howell (sax and bass clarinet), Greg Kettinger (guitar) and Brian Landrus (bass clarinet). Vanore talks about the mystery of the human monuments and how they inspired his writing: “Every time there's been a breakthrough and somebody posits an explanation for how the statues were made or how they were moved, somebody else discovers information that defeats that premise. Where there's mystery, there's always tension, and I tried to capture that element of the unknown.”

The guitar-playing phenomenon that is Julian Lage is back with ‘Scenes From Above’ following his 2024 Grammy-nominated tour de force ‘Speak To Me’. This time, Lage features a stunning quartet with nine original tracks. Julian Lage Quartet @Hannah Gray Hall Scenes From Above  is Lage’s fifth Blue Note album, the second made in collaboration with revered producer Joe Henry. What makes this particularly interesting (the music is great, obviously!) is the composition process as this amazing quartet explores each tune together in real time. The guitarist and composer says: “I came in with a desire to present this as an egalitarian thing, rather than ‘I’m the leader — let’s build something around me'.  This is music that’s connected to our own growth and development individually and within our relationships with one another, with no sense that anybody’s expecting anything.” As he thought about each of the quartet’s qualities as players, he set a timer for 20 minutes, wrote a tune, recorded it once, and then began again. “My dream with composing, really, is to have something to talk about once we’re together. It’s not the end-all, be-all.” This new quartet breathes expressive, dynamic life into the nine tunes: John Medeski (organ and piano), Jorge Roeder (bass) and Kenny Wollesen (drums). Scenes From Above  opens with the first single - Opal  - in a gentle but insistent start that establishes Lage’s guitar brilliantly in the quartet context. The keys and bass particularly echo his licks and establishing the groove swaps between the musicians across all nine tracks. The percussive start to Havens  allows drums and bass to set down patterns that build beautifully as guitar and keys join in, while the gorgeous ballad feel of Night Shade takes the intensity down and Lage’s start to Ocala  simply sings. Throughout Scenes from Above , musical drive flits between the players until they all come together and the album finishes with a glorious chordal start to Something More  allows Lage’s melody to soar above. Surprising and insistent rhythmic patterns add a tension that releases in the final concluding notes. Listen through once and then start again at the beginning to catch all the nuances of the quartet’s virtuosity. You can watch the live video for Opal   here  and get your tickets to see Lage while he’s touring , including some May dates in Europe. Lage never fails to impress and these dates promise much to support the release of Scenes From Above .