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

BEAT ME DADDY: THE SINGLES COLLECTION 1939-47

3ELEMENTS: CONVERSATIONS OF HOPE

MEMENTO

Catherine Russell's Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Dot Time Records captures her GRAMMY-nominated artistry in a vibrant, career-defining performance. A powerhouse ensemble and vintage-inspired arrangements honor the Hot Club of New York and the rich lineage of swing, blues, and early jazz. Featuring "Now You're Talkin' My Language" and "Never Too Old to Swing."

TACTIL

Aja Monet is a Surrealist Blues Poet in the business of goosebumps and heart-gut-telling truths. Her poems are harmolodic, vulnerable, and insurgent. As the youngest recipient of the Nuyorican Grand Slam Poetry title, she first cut her teeth in New York City's Lower East Side poetry clubs and bars, honing her voice and craft on the storied stages of a burgeoning grassroots poetry movement. She follows in the long legacy and tradition of poets organizing in social movements for change. Her collaborative spirit has seen her shape and shift culture alongside internationally renowned artists, scholars, activists, and organizers. aja's first full collection of poems, my mother was a freedom fighter (2017), is a powerful tribute to women who embody freedom, earning a nomination for a NAACP Image Award for Poetry. Her debut poetry album, when the poems do what they do, was nominated for a Grammy Best Spoken Word Poetry Album in 2024. The album explores themes of resistance, love, and the inexhaustible quest for joy. As a poet and touring bandleader, she has performed at festivals, concert halls, and theaters across the globe including but not limited to, the Guggenheim, Lincoln Center, Newport Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Fremantle Biennele and the Barbican Centre to name a few. Aja Monet's awards include the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Award for Poetry (2019), the Nelson Mandela Changemaker Award (2024), The Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award (2024), the EBONY 100 Artist In Residence Award, and the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Vanguard Award (2025). She also serves as the Artistic Creative Director for V-Day, a global movement to end violence against women and girls. In 2022, she created "VOICES," an audio play amplifying the stories of Black women across the diaspora and the African continent. Aja Monet's most recent book of poems inspired by several years living and organizing in South Florida is called, Florida water on Haymarket Books. Her sophomore studio album the color of rain, is set to be released in May 2026 with drink sum wtr.

From Shanghai-born composer and bandleader Zhengtao Pan comes Day by Day, a sweeping nine-track album for jazz orchestra that draws on classical structure, Chinese musical tradition, film scoring, and the full expressive range of the contemporary big band. Recorded in 2025 and featuring guest artists Rufus Reid, Steve Wilson, Itai Kriss, and Sara Gazarek, the album balances orchestral ambition with deeply personal storytelling. Highlights include the patient, folk-like "Childhood" built on a repeating bass foundation conceived specifically for the legendary Rufus Reid; the groove-driven "Wind Dance" featuring Steve Wilson's soprano saxophone over an Afro-Cuban pulse with Celtic melodic fingerprints; the cinematic "Aurora" featuring Grammy-nominated vocalist Sara Gazarek in a Kenny Wheeler-inspired orchestral setting; and the epic title track, a portrait of artistry as persistence, opening with an intricate ostinato in shifting odd meters before building to a fully earned shout chorus. Pan, a graduate of Berklee College of Music and currently pursuing a master's degree at the Eastman School of Music, has drawn on mentorships with Steven Feifke, Miho Hazama, and Gabriela Ortiz to develop a compositional voice that is simultaneously global and deeply rooted in jazz tradition. Fans of Maria Schneider, Darcy James Argue, and Wayne Shorter's orchestral work will find Day by Day both thrilling and deeply humane.

MONTREUX, ZARAGOZA & RAMATUELLE JAZZ FESTIVALS

Jazz guitarist Bill Banfield's father just turned 100 years old. At a recent celebration, family and friends gathered virtually and in person to celebrate his life and ask his advice. Bill had been learning his father's lessons for years, but a recent phone conversation led his dad to give him the title for his new Mesa/Bluemoon Recordings album. As Bill tells it, he was speaking with his dad when he suddenly realized that he had something else that he needed to do. His father said, "Bill, I will talk to you, but you must TAKE TIME TO LISTEN." The words hit Bill like a thunderbolt, as his album was designed as encouragement to concentrate on the stories found deep in his music. Born and raised in Detroit, Banfield attended the prestigious arts magnet school, Cass Tech. He was mentored by two of the city's finest jazz guitarists, Kenny Burrell and Earl Klugh. He also learned from the examples of masters George Benson, John Scofield, Emily Remler, Pat Martino, and Jack Wilkins. Banfield calls his approach "solo-voiced guitar," reflecting his belief that imagination and emotion are essential ingredients in all great music, and that his playing comes directly from his heart. Banfield dedicates TAKE TIME TO LISTEN to Burrell and Klugh "to lift up these jazz guitar icons who greatly inspired and coached me as an early teen as I aspired to be like my heroes." Banfield's accomplishments range far beyond the scope of this album. His independent label JazzUrbane issued recordings featuring Chief Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott), Grace Kelly, Greg Osby, and Terri Lyne Carrington. On the classical side, Banfield has composed 12 symphonies, 7 operas and 9 concerti, with performances of these works spanning most of North America's finest orchestras. A renowned educator, he is a Professor Emeritus from the Berklee School of Music and is currently an Artist-in-Residence at Longy School of Music at Bard College. He was the Arts and Culture correspondent for "The Tavis Smiley Show," and was hired by Quincy Jones in 2010 to create a national music curriculum and textbook revolving around American musical culture. Banfield has written several books, including volumes on Ornette Coleman, Kendrick Lamar, and Nikki Minaj.

Randy Weston is known to the public thru the lens of the small ensemble of the African Rhythm group, recognition that is very well deserved and his signature around the world. Randy Weston is not only in direct lineage of Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, he was also the real integrator of African music into the Jazz World. In 1985 the city of Brooklyn honored Randy with a week-long tribute, culminating in a unique concert at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) on February 16. For this rare occasion, Randy assembled a dream ensemble - dancers, singers (including Andy Bey), and a big band like no other. The arrangements and conducting were entrusted to none other than Melba Liston - his trusted collaborator and musical sister. Melba, a brilliant trombonist and an even more masterful arranger, transformed Randy's compositions into grand orchestrations that paid tribute to his musical legacy. One of three releases marking the 100th birthday of Randy Weston. It features previously unreleased live material.

Electric is the seventh studio album from 2025 Billboard Artist of the Year and 19-time Billboard #1 guitarist producer Adam Hawley-a forward-thinking collection that pushes contemporary jazz deeper into the streaming era while staying rooted in melody, groove, and emotional connection. The album has already delivered two Billboard #1 singles-"Automatic" and "RollerSk8." "Automatic" blends polished guitar phrasing with an effortlessly catchy hook, mid-tempo pocket, and sleek modern production-ideal for core smooth jazz playlists that balance accessibility with musicianship. "RollerSk8," by contrast, leans into playful rhythmic motion and nostalgic funk undertones, offering a bright, feel-good energy that keeps listeners engaged without overpowering the mood. The album also features marquee appearances by Dave Koz, Everette Harp, Marion Meadows, Jeff Ryan, and Kat Hawley-artists whose audiences align strongly with smooth jazz streaming demographics. These collaborations add tonal variety while preserving cohesion: soaring saxophone lines, silky melodic exchanges, and conversational improvisation moments that elevate the project without drifting from playlist-friendly structure.

My current project is called Omniphoria... a title conceived by Mary Suzanne Garvey (my wife/partner for many years). Mary also provides the lovely painting for the cover art. The project consists of 13 tracks featuring several of my longtime associates and musicians from years of making music, Dan Balmer, Dave Captein, Doug Durbrow and several others joined me. We were even able to squeeze in a live track from my band in 1989. And I was thrilled to record a piano/voice duet with my brother Mukunda who joins me in a song from the world of Hare Krishna of which he is a founding devotee.

WHISKY SCENTED KISSES

GIANTS is jazz guitarist Barry Greene's most fully realized recording to date-a powerful tribute to the players who shaped his musical voice, including Pat Martino, Grant Green, Wes Montgomery, and Russell Malone. Spanning organ trio, modern ensemble, and solo guitar settings, the album reflects a lifetime of deep immersion in the jazz tradition, delivered with authority, swing, and an unmistakable personal voice. With Pat Bianchi on B3 organ and drummer Ulysses Owens Jr., Greene captures the raw energy and soulful drive of the classic organ trio. The broader sound palette of his quintet setting with David Kikoski on piano, Steve Nelson on vibraphone, bassist Marco Panascia, and Owens, yields richly textured performances that balance fire, lyricism, and harmonic depth. More than a tribute, Giants is a statement-an artist at the peak of his powers honoring the lineage while speaking unmistakably in his own voice. "Monster chops, soulful feel, full/rich classic jazz tone, and virtuosic harmonic techniques establish him as a top-tier guitarist." - Benedetto Guitars. Barry Greene is just about one of the best; not only as a player, but also as a writer and a teacher & a world-class musician. Pat Martino

One of three releases marking the 100th birthday of Randy Weston. It features previously unreleased live material. Randy Weston is known to the public thru the lens of the small ensemble of the African Rhythm group, recognition that is very well deserved and his signature around the world. Randy Weston is not only in direct lineage of Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, he was also the real integrator of African music into the Jazz World. Brooklyn, a cradle of jazz history and home to countless musical legends like Max Roach, Duke Jordan, and Cecil Payne, celebrated one of it's finest with a weeklong tribute at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). "African Sunrise"-also presented that year at the Kool Jazz Festival in Chicago with Machito's orchestra featuring Dizzy Gillespie, Johnny Griffin, Art Blakey, and Richard Davis (a recording of that event exists!)-appears here in an arrangement by Melba Liston, showcasing her genius once again.

DYNASTY

A compilation of jazz hits including "The Way You Look Tonight", "Moondance", "Cheek To Cheek" and more; performed by legendary jazz musicians Beegie Adair, Jack Jezzro, Stephen Kummer, and more.

While Sam Phillips of Sun Records is known as one of the architects of rock and roll, he also dabbled in other genres - 1960's The Martini Set is a great example of his jazzy side. Featuring pianist Graham Forbes and his trio, this midcentury lounge music gem has interpretations of standards like "Autumn in New York" and "The Lady is a Tramp." Fans of romantic jazz can raise their glass to the shimmering version of "Adios" that provided the soundtrack to an episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

MOVIE SINFONICA