Emmet Cohen, DownBeat Magazine's 2025 Pianist of the Year and critically acclaimed composer and bandleader, has been busy. Busy touring a Miles Davis & John Coltrane tribute to sold-out audiences across the world, busy running Live from Emmet's Place as the "most highly watched regular online jazz show in the world," and busy recording his new album, Universal Truth. With Joe Farnsworth, Yasushi Nakamura, Jeremy Pelt, Tivon Pennicott and guests Ron Carter and George Coleman, Emmet brings his celebrated tribute to the studio, pairing timeless classics ("Well You Needn't," "My Funny Valentine") with new originals that honor jazz's royalty while boldly carrying their tradition forward.

Art Blakey's New Messengers blaze through hard-driving rhythms, soulful melodies, and breathtaking improvisation. Anchored by Keith Jarrett's virtuosic piano, Frank Mitchell's fiery sax, and Reggie Johnson's inventive bass, this album captures the band's live energy and intensity in full flight.

Spyro Gyra - Live In Leverkusen 2022 - This fantastic live album from the Leverkusen Jazz Days on November 7, 2022, features one of the most successful U.S. jazz fusion bands, Spyro Gyra. For Spyro Gyra's performance at the Leverkusen Jazz Days on November 7, 2022, the band's lineup consisted of Jay Beckenstein (saxophone), Tom Schuman (keyboards, piano), Julio Fernandez (guitars), Scott Ambush (bass), and Lionel Cordew (drums, percussion). "Art manifests itself in a variety of styles and contexts. That's why we started making music in the first place, " is Spyro Gyra's philosophy. And the band's live program that evening in Leverkusen was just as diverse, including their big hits "Shaker Song" and "Morning Dance.

It was Dave Slonaker's fascination with the sounds of big bands in his early teens that led him to Pittsburg's Carnegie Library to research the nuts & bolts of how it was created. An orchestrator, arranger, and composer for film & TV over decades now, it's with his 15-year-old Grammy nominated ensemble - comprised of LA's finest jazz and studio musicians where he explores the paradigm shifts within his own writing and aesthetic as time goes on. With this third album for Origin, his exploration of orchestration, harmony and rhythm is as expansive and vivid as ever, as band members including Peter Erskine, Bob Sheppard, Clay Jenkins and Bill Reichenbach lend world-renowned musicality to whatever twists and turns he conjures up - always celebrating the big band legacy while joining the other visionary composers in charting the path forward. "His charts are modern, invigorating, full of variety, and clearly an inspiration for his sidemen." Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene "Exemplifying the best of contemporary big-band jazz - fresh and sparkling, with more than enough dynamism and ingenuity to capture a listener's interest and hold it..." All About Jazz

ULTIMATE COLLECTION STEVE LAWRENCE / EYDI GORME The first track on this 4-CD set is "This Could Be the Start of Something Big," and it sure is: here, at last, is the Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme collection all of their fans have been waiting for, the biggest and (by far) best-sounding set ever devoted to the pair of legendary pop vocalists. Under the supervision of their son David Lawrence (who contributes a personal note to the booklet), we've gone back to the original tapes for most of these 72 tracks; some of these have never appeared on CD, and, with Eric Boulanger's new remastering, the ones that have come out sound much better than they did before. Disc One, "Duet Classics," features such career touchstones for the couple as "Baby It's Cold Outside," "For Once in Your Life," and "We Got Us." Disc Two, "Steve Classics," brings the hits with "Portrait of My Love," "Footsteps," and "Go Away Little Girl" along with such signature renditions as "I've Gotta Be Me" and "I Want to Be with You" and even an unreleased track, "You and I." Eydie takes over (and how!) on Disc Three with such smashes as "Blame It on the Bossa Nova," "What Did I Have That I Don't Have," "If He Walked into My Life," "Tonight I'll Say a Prayer, and her Spanish-language classic with Trio Los Panchos, "Sabor a Mi." And Disc Four revels in the duo's love of Broadway with songs like "Mama, A Rainbow," "The Ladies Who Lunch," "Two on the Aisle," and the uproarious "The Honeymoon Is Over." Like this collection, Joe Marchese's liner notes follow Steve and Eydie's career every step of the way, and we've included some rare photos courtesy of the estate. The ultimate collection indeed, the comprehensive, career-spanning collection these two icons have long deserved!

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 and with the band Auracle-fitted with the cherished Giardinelli mouthpiece gifted to him by the legend himself during a meeting at the 2007 Long Beach Jazz Festival. The collection features an extraordinary roster of collaborators including original Mangione guitarist Grant Geissman, saxophonists Richard Elliot and Tom Scott, keyboardist Philippe Saisse, and flutist Steve Kujala.

Uncharted Realms is the bold new release from saxophonist and composer Sean Imboden, showcasing the visionary sound of the Sean Imboden Large Ensemble. Following the acclaimed debut Communal Heart, this second full-length album expands the ensemble's sonic landscape, blending dynamic big band arrangements with modern jazz textures and emotional depth. Featuring sweeping brass, intricate woodwind lines, and inventive solos, Uncharted Realms explores themes of imagination, connection, and optimism. From high-energy openers to introspective moments of calm, each composition reflects Imboden's forward-thinking approach to jazz orchestration. A must-have for fans of contemporary big band and large ensemble jazz.

Portrait in Jazz marks a pivotal shift in jazz history, introducing a revolutionary "democratic" trio format where the piano, bass, and drums act as equal partners in a continuous musical conversation. Recorded in late 1959, the album features the legendary synergy of Bill Evans, Scott LaFaro, and Paul Motian, blending standards with original compositions through their signature "simultaneous improvisation".

Blessed with a captivating, richly sonorous singing voice, Japan-born, Seattle-based Valerie Joyce recorded two albums for audiophile label Chesky Records in the 2000s. The first of them, 2005's critically acclaimed New York Blue, featured the young singer supported by a crack Big Apple jazz band: formidable pianist Andy Ezrin, alternating bassists John Hebert and Tim Lefebvre, and drum stalwart Gene Jackson. They are augmented on some tracks by the veteran session musician Lawrence Feldman's smoky saxophone. Joyce's intriguing repertoire blends deft interpretations of well-known evergreens from The Great American Songbook ('Darn That Dream') with jazz standards (Miles Davis' 'Blue In Green'), jazz-tinged R&B ('Fever'), rock (Jimi Hendrix's 'Little Wing'), and pop (The Beatles' 'Golden Slumbers'). Bolstered with new liner notes featuring a recent interview with Valerie Joyce, New York Blue is reissued in 2026 as part of the Chesky Original Masters series on 180g One Step Pressing Vinyl LP and SACD Hybrid Stereo.

Swiss pianist and composer Sylvie Courvoisier has been a defining figure on the contemporary jazz scene for 20 years and is at the epicenter of the New York music scene. She was also recently awarded the prestigious Swiss Grand Prix Musik 2025. She now follows up on the acclaimed recent releases - her solo album To be Other-Wise, and the atmospherically multi-layered duo album Angel Falls with the legendary Wadada Leo Smith - with a live album from her much-lauded trio with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Kenny Wollesen. Recorded during a European tour in February 2025, the album presents the quintessence of this outstanding trio. With each concert, with each album, the trio's working method becomes more defined. In deep musical trust with each other, the three exceptional musicians celebrate a detailed and precise music that is both ambiguous and wide open. "And that's what this album shows now. This joy, diversity, subtlety, this desire. (...) Losing oneself in the music, the delicious moment that unfolds heavenly. But so cunning, so complex, so pointed, as only true virtuosos can be," writes Ulrich Stock in the liner notes.

Alight Upon the Lake: Live at the Jazz Showcase is a previously unissued recording of woodwind multi-instrumentalist icon Yusef Lateef featuring pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Bob Cunningham and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath captured live at Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase in Chicago, IL in June of 1975. The 3-CD set was mastered from the original tapes by engineer Matthew Lutthans.

Limited green, blue, and yellow marbled vinyl. Includes booklet. Die-cut inner sleeve. Expanded edition of the Icelandic singer/songwriter's 2025 album. A Matter of Time is the third studio album by Laufey. The album's original release includes the singles "Silver Lining", "Tough Luck", "Lover Girl" and "Snow White".

Forged over years of touring, brotherhood, and hard-earned trust, George Coleman's Octet arrives fully realized. This is an explosive first statement from a band driven by experience, discipline, and fearless improvisation, capturing a moment when deep roots, shared legacy, and uncompromising fire collide at full volume.

First transforming the iconic music of Cedar Walton into stellar big band arrangements, followed by a dive into the idiosyncratic rhythmic mastery of Ari Hoenig, pianist and composer Ben Markley's two big band albums displayed a formidable voice, always searching for challenges while reveling in surprise. With Tuesday Morning Feeling, Markley steps decisively into his own voice, delivering seven originals and several new arrangements of Thelonious Monk and Cedar Walton. He balances authority and openness, pairing strong melodic ideas with flexible frameworks that invite conversation, risk, and momentum. The band itself is a blend of long-standing Front Range collaborators and world-renowned guest artists, including Terell Stafford, Steve Nelson, Steve Davis, Bijon Watson, and David Wong, whose presence adds both fire and depth to the ensemble sound. Solos burn, the ensemble breathes as one, and the rhythmic engine never loses sight of swing. Tuesday Morning Feeling captures a big band in it's stride: grounded, evolving, and driven by the joy of making music. "a depth of melodicism and harmonic sophistication at work amidst rhythmic brilliance" DownBeat"classic big band sounds, an upbeat take on the format, full of adept arrangements and intricate soloing" DownBeat

Falling in Love With Paul Desmond is part of RCA's mid-line Falling in Love With series, which focuses on romantic highlights from classic big-band, swing, and jazz artists. There aren't any risky choices on Desmond's volume, but that's fine, since each of the title's 11 cuts -- including "When Joanna Loved Me," "Body and Soul," "My Funny Valentine," "Embarcadero," and "Then I'll Be Tired of You" -- sustains a mellow, romantic mood. This record may not really be necessary, but for anyone looking for lovely, romantic music from Desmond, it's not a bad choice at all.

-- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic.com

Personnel includes: Paul Desmond (alto saxophone); Albert Richman (French horn); Gene Bianco, Gloria Agostini (harp); Jim Hall (guitar); Eugene Wright, Gene Cherico, Milt Hinton (bass); Robert Thomas (drums, percussion); Connie Kay (drums).

Recorded at Webster Hall and RCA Studio A in New York, New York between 1962 and 1964. Includes liner notes by Joshua Sherman.

Digitally remastered by James Nichols (BMG Studios, New York, New York).

This is part of RCA Victor's Falling In Love With series.

Personnel: Paul Desmond (alto saxophone); Jim Hall (guitar); Gene Bianco, Gloria Agostini (harp); Al Richman (French horn); Robert Thomas (snare drum, percussion); Connie Kay (snare drum).

Liner Note Author: Joshua Sherman.

Recording information: RCA Studio A, New York, NY (1962-1964); Webster Hall, New York, NY (1962-1964).