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.

The Guesthouse is about collaboration, inclusion, and the essence of welcoming which is the essence of an open door. It's my most ambitious project to date, sonically and compositionally. It involves so many incredibly talented people: some are in the front, playing music together with me, offering their insight, time, effort, and love, and some incredibly talented and hardworking people are behind the scenes, facilitating, allowing, and inspiring me to keep pushing forward. Musically speaking, the color palette on The Guesthouse is huge. It introduces many musical guests that I admire deeply: MARO, Immanuel Wilkins, Michael Mayo, and many more. It includes lyric writing for the first time, electronic instruments, guitars, trumpets, flutes, flamenco musicians, in-depth production work, my quartet, solo piano, odd meter explorations, improvisations, songs with no time, strings, two pianos conversing and more and more and more.. I dove as deep as I could into these deep waters. The result is my attempt to turn the creative chaos that lives in mind mind into one coherent artistic statement, always having a simple melody as a thread that tells the story of this collective. Shai Maestro Shai Maestro (b. 1987) is one of the most inventive and influential pianists of his generation. Since debuting with his own trio in 2011, he has developed a distinctive musical voice that is fluid, expressive, and profoundly lyrical. His artistry has made him a defining figure in contemporary jazz, merging improvisation, composition, and global influences into a sound that is both cinematic and deeply personal. Maestro began studying classical piano at the age of five and discovered jazz at eight through the recordings of Keith Jarrett and Oscar Peterson. At nineteen, he joined bassist Avishai Cohen's trio, co-writing the acclaimed Gently Disturbed and performing worldwide. In 2011, he formed his own trio, recording six albums that solidified his reputation as a singular voice in modern jazz. His years with ECM Records, under the guidance of Manfred Eicher, placed him among the lineage of pianists such as Keith Jarrett, Paul Bley, and Chick Corea. With drummer Ofri Nehemya and bassist Jorge Roeder, he recorded his first ECM album "The Dream Thief", later joined by trumpeter Philip Dizack for the second - "Human", both expanding the expressive language of the modern jazz quartet. Today, Maestro continues to evolve artistically with a new quartet featuring keyboardist Gadi Lehavi, drummer Ofri Nehemya, and bassist Jorge Roeder. Gadi, the new wild card in the group, brings a distinctive energy and vision; his presence as another pianist opens fresh possibilities for dialogue, texture, and experimentation between two keyboards. This lineup functions as a powerful, cohesive engine driving Maestro's musical exploration, blending jazz improvisation with modern production into a sound that is organic, cinematic, and forward-looking. In 2025, Maestro signed a long-term partnership with the Paris-based label naive records, a defining milestone that opened an expansive new chapter in his artistic life. The collaboration with naive marked a moment of renewal and bold creative ambition, setting the stage for a period of profound exploration. The first fruit of this partnership was his solo piano album, Solo: Miniatures & Tales. Introspective and deeply personal, it revealed the most intimate side of Maestro's artistry; a work of quiet reflection, nuance, and restraint. This album stands in deliberate contrast to the broader, outward-looking vision of his forthcoming project, The Guesthouse, highlighting the duality at the heart of Maestro's creative world: the tension between introspection and expansion. In March 2026, Maestro will release The Guesthouse, a record that features Portuguese singer MARO alongside Immanuel Wilkins, and Michael Mayo. The album represents a bold leap forward, combining the sensitivity of modern jazz with electronic sound design and the harmonic depth of classical music. The Guesthouse creates a lush, cinematic space where boundaries dissolve, embodying Maestro's exploration of openness and collaboration.

Guitarist John Hart returns to the classic guitar-bass-drums trio format for his seventh SteepleChase release. After several adventurous outings, New Mantra marks a melodic homecoming, reuniting Hart with longtime collaborators Bill Moring and Tim Horner. Known for his lyrical phrasing and harmonic depth, Hart emphasizes melody and clarity, crafting originals like “Think” and “Abyss” alongside fresh takes on standards such as “Stella by Starlight” and “Some Other Time.” With over 100 sideman credits and decades of leadership, Hart continues to shape modern jazz guitar — blending tradition, intellect, and soul in every note. “Resonance resonates…and how. Mucho bravos to John Hart and his bandmates for providing jazz guitar fans with a refreshing and inspired offering which exhibits the time-honoured legacy of the instrument.” (UK JazzNews on SCCD 31948 Resonance)

Saxophonist Sigurdur Flosason has been one of Icelands most active jazz musicians for the past decades. Through out his career he's cooperated with some of Scandinavia's finest musicians. On his latest release, Blue shoes, his partners are Danes Kjeld Lauritsen on Hammond organ and Kristian Leth on drums, both of whom he has cooperated with on previous releases. New to the mix is the outstanding Swedish guitarist Erik Soderlind. On a few tracks they are joined by Danish percussion master Birger Sulsbruck. The music, all Flosason's originals, is a cross between jazz and blues with a personal and nordic twist. The album was recorded at Village recording in Copenhagen during the summer of 2025. Sigurdur Flosason has recorded over thirty CDs and is a multiple winner of the Icelandic music awards.

A Semblance: Of Return is the new album from South African drummer, composer, and bandleader Asher Gamedze, available on Northern Spy Records as a limited "Emulsive Return" clear smoke 12" LP, and digipak CD. Gamedze gathers a close ensemble of longtime collaborators to explore what he calls "practices of assembly" - ways of making sound, and imagining new and old modes of freedom. Based in the independent music scenes of Cape Town and rooted in Pan-Africanism and Black Consciousness, Of Return extends the political and musical commitments that have defined Gamedze's work from Dialectic Soul (On The Corner, 2020), to Turbulence and Pulse (International Anthem, 2022) and Constitution (International Anthem, 2024) while opening a newly collective chapter in his practice, this time on Northern Spy. The band on the album - Ru Slayen (percussion), Nobuhle Ashanti (keys & synth), Zwide Ndwandwe (bass), and Keegan Steenkamp (trumpet), with Gamedze on drums - formed as a social unit: a group for whom music is part of a broader shared life, full of playing, thinking, laughing, and struggling. That ethos animates the music. Across the album's two sides, Of Return serves as a gathering place: a living room, a rehearsal, a shady club, a study group, a home. The music moves with a grounded, searching energy, shifting between group vocals, groove-heavy ensemble passages, and moments of stark melodic clarity. The grooves are earthy and lived-in; the improvisations feel like conversations; the lyric fragments echo the project's probing around notions of return as integral to any forward, future-oriented motion. Of Return enacts both return and departure, or more precisely, extension/elaboration. This it does through a rootedness in the traditions and politics of the Cape underground, and opening a sonic invitation to dream, to struggle together, and, fundamentally, to assemble.

Chris Standring returns in 2026 with a heartfelt eleven song collection of inspired compositions drawing on influences from a golden age. This retro-soulful set harks back to a familiar, perhaps nostalgic time when sophisticated arrangements and beautiful harmonies where all in fashion. Featuring a top-flight four piece horn section and a vast array of orchestral colors, alongside Chris' unique guitar tones, Time Of Change takes you on an invigorating journey from start to finish. - True to the concept inherent in the title of the collection, the multi-talented performer's infectious blend of introspective and fast grooving/danceable compositions, intricate texturing and moody atmospheres is a natural outgrowth and organic expression of this unique period of his life where he's simultaneously reflecting on the past and excited about the great personal and musical adventures to come. Though he's enjoyed over 15 Billboard Top 10 singles and eight #1's - most recently with "Change the World" from Simple Things (2022) and "Top Hat & Tails" from As We Think (2024) - Standring insists that over the course of his past few projects, his writing has not been aimed at radio airplay but as a way to keep himself sane, happy and moving forward creatively. Inevitably, several tracks poppin' from his Benedetto archtop electric will catch the ear of programmers, but he's less focused on commercial success than digging in deeper, following the muse and the music.

Run, Run, Run represents a transformative moment in Tomoko Omura's artistic journey, her first album conceived as a fully realized musical narrative. Drawing deep inspiration from Keiji Nakazawa's Barefoot Gen and released on the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, Omura weaves a poignant short story in sound-one that confronts the horrors of nuclear devastation while threading in her own reflections as both a mother and a global citizen. From the opening notes, listeners are invited into an emotional landscape that honors history's weight and the resilience it demands.

Miles Davis' first classic quintet (with the leader on trumpet, John Coltrane on tenor sax, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums) was formed in 1955 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest combos in jazz history. Relaxin' was the second in a series of four albums featuring the group recorded between May and October of 1956. It contains Miles' first version of "If I Were a Bell" from the play Guys and Dolls, a tune he would include in his concert repertoire until 1965. 180-GRAM COLORED BLUE VINYL - THE COMPLETE ALBUM + 2 BONUS TRACKS - Contains new specially prepared liner notes by Penguin Guide to Jazz's writer BRIAN MORTON and by Paris' prestigious JAZZ MAGAZINE. LIMITED EDITION

In the winter of 1973, at the Congress Theatre, Eastbourne on the Sussex coast, Duke Ellington gave what was to be his final public performance. The finest jazz tune smith, and his band - somewhat depleted of some of it's finest improvisers due to death or retirement, gave what was seen upon the release of the album of the concert on RCA, as a valedictory performance. Not widely known at the time was that the Duke was suffering from the cancer that would kill him shortly after. Inevitably, the recording was shot through with magic, majesty, travesty and weariness. It was not appreciated, understood or valued by the critics. Bassist Arnie Somogyi and pianist Mark Edwards have revisited the Eastbourne concert, and rather than accept the rather negative view of the album, found it possessed a solid core to mine, and the result is this affectionate reimagining of the 1973 concert, with some new works created from the improvs played by the Duke in between numbers. A fascinating fact about the new album, recorded in Eastbourne in a studio just a hundred yards from The Congress is that the very same piano played by Ellington is played by Mark Edwards - the years fall way, and echoes of the Duke and his magic shine through.

After being fired by Miles Davis and traveling to Philadelphia to combat his drug addiction, in mid-1957 John Coltrane accepted Thelonious Monk's offer and joined his band for a period of six months. They played at New York's Five Spot Caf� in a quartet format. Despite the exquisite quality of the band's music, it yielded relatively few studio recordings. This LP was issued by producer Orrin Keepnews in 1961, four years after the sessions took place, and after Coltrane had become a leader and jazz star in his own right. THE COMPLETE ALBUM + 2 BONUS TRACKS - 180-GRAM VIRGIN VINYL - LIMITED EDITION

Portrait in Jazz was Bill Evans' third album as a leader, following New Jazz Conceptions (1956) and Everybody Digs Bill Evans (1958). It was also Evans' first album as a leader with the talented bassist Scott LaFaro. Their superb interaction is evident from the very first track, and Evans was certainly aware of this. The collaboration between Evans and LaFaro would reach it's peak with their recordings made in June 1961 at the Village Vanguard in New York City. LaFaro died shortly afterward in a car accident (July 6, 1961), at the age of 25.

The "[Everything Jazz - Vol.5 ECM Edition]" collection stands as an essential, high-fidelity offering for any serious jazz enthusiast, compiling fifty carefully curated, generation-spanning masterpieces from the renowned ECM label that have earned acclaim both internationally and in Japan. What truly elevates this set is the commitment to superb technical brilliance; presented on the Ultimate High Quality CD (UHQCD) format-often for the first time-and enhanced with the Green Color Label Coat specification, these reissues promise pristine audio fidelity, faithfully reproducing the original master recordings with astonishing clarity. Beyond the cutting-edge sound, the collection adds substantial value with detailed booklets featuring brand-new liner notes and artist comments for each work, making this an indispensable, comprehensive package that blends timeless classics with definitive sound quality, ready for you to discover your next destined masterpiece.

Originally recorded in 1954, Brown and Roach Incorporated is a foundational hard bop album featuring the virtuosic collaboration between trumpeter Clifford Brown and drummer Max Roach. This 180-gram vinyl edition includes the original quintet's dynamic performances along with bonus tracks.

The "[Everything Jazz - Vol.5 ECM Edition]" collection stands as an essential, high-fidelity offering for any serious jazz enthusiast, compiling fifty carefully curated, generation-spanning masterpieces from the renowned ECM label that have earned acclaim both internationally and in Japan. What truly elevates this set is the commitment to superb technical brilliance; presented on the Ultimate High Quality CD (UHQCD) format-often for the first time-and enhanced with the Green Color Label Coat specification, these reissues promise pristine audio fidelity, faithfully reproducing the original master recordings with astonishing clarity. Beyond the cutting-edge sound, the collection adds substantial value with detailed booklets featuring brand-new liner notes and artist comments for each work, making this an indispensable, comprehensive package that blends timeless classics with definitive sound quality, ready for you to discover your next destined masterpiece.

For the last three years, Pomplamoose has shared the making of Photog�nique, a lush and groovy French bossa-pop album produced by Jeremy Most (Emily King), Jack Conte, and Philip Etherington (Lizzy McAlpine). It's a romantic, playful, and deeply nostalgic coming-of-age story steeped in Dawn's childhood memories of France and Belgium. Collaborations include legendary jazz organist Larry Goldings and French singer-songwriter Laura Cahen. Photog�nique debuts July 16. Following their L.A. release party at The El Rey July 18, Pomplamoose and Larry Goldings will tour key markets across the U.S. and Europe.

This 49-track 2-CD collection comprises recordings from sessions in the early 1950s at the dawn of the vinyl LP era. - Gene Ammons, often known as 'The Boss' was a jazz tenor saxophonist who was the son of the highly successful and influential boogie-woogie pianist of the 1930s and '40s, Albert Ammons. Gene's music was characterised by being a highly accessible and straightforward style of jazz, redolent with influences from blues, R&B and soul, bringing him hits in the US R&B chart, although he embraced the innovations of bebop and integrated it's techniques into his distinctive approach. He was very much a part of the soul jazz movement of the '60s which introduced the electric organ into the instrumentation. This 49-track 2-CD collection comprises recordings from sessions in the early 1950s at the dawn of the vinyl LP era. It includes tracks released on singles by the Prestige, Chess, Decca and United labels, plus titles from his early 10' albums on Prestige, 'Battle Of The Saxes' and 'Favourites Vols. 1, 2 & 3'. It includes his Top 10 R&B hits 'My Foolish Heart' and 'Jug' and a new version of his 1947 hit 'Red Top'. It features recordings with Sonny Stitt, Bill Massey, Jo Jones, Duke Jordan, Tommy Potter, Art Blakey, Matthew Gee, Charles Bateman, Eugene Wright, Wesley Landers, Junior Mance, Clarence Anderson, Teddy Stewart, J.J. Johnson and others. It's a great showcase for the trademark tone and texture of his playing, and an entertaining musical snapshot of his music during a key era of his career.

The "[Everything Jazz - Vol.5 ECM Edition]" collection stands as an essential, high-fidelity offering for any serious jazz enthusiast, compiling fifty carefully curated, generation-spanning masterpieces from the renowned ECM label that have earned acclaim both internationally and in Japan. What truly elevates this set is the commitment to superb technical brilliance; presented on the Ultimate High Quality CD (UHQCD) format-often for the first time-and enhanced with the Green Color Label Coat specification, these reissues promise pristine audio fidelity, faithfully reproducing the original master recordings with astonishing clarity. Beyond the cutting-edge sound, the collection adds substantial value with detailed booklets featuring brand-new liner notes and artist comments for each work, making this an indispensable, comprehensive package that blends timeless classics with definitive sound quality, ready for you to discover your next destined masterpiece.

The "[Everything Jazz - Vol.5 ECM Edition]" collection stands as an essential, high-fidelity offering for any serious jazz enthusiast, compiling fifty carefully curated, generation-spanning masterpieces from the renowned ECM label that have earned acclaim both internationally and in Japan. What truly elevates this set is the commitment to superb technical brilliance; presented on the Ultimate High Quality CD (UHQCD) format-often for the first time-and enhanced with the Green Color Label Coat specification, these reissues promise pristine audio fidelity, faithfully reproducing the original master recordings with astonishing clarity. Beyond the cutting-edge sound, the collection adds substantial value with detailed booklets featuring brand-new liner notes and artist comments for each work, making this an indispensable, comprehensive package that blends timeless classics with definitive sound quality, ready for you to discover your next destined masterpiece.

LEGENDARY 'HUTCH': THE SINGLES COLLECTION 1929-47