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.

Cecile Licad plays piano music by Scott Joplin Scott Joplin (1868-1917), along with James Scott and Joseph Lamb, forms what are often called the "three B's" of classic ragtime. While hundreds of ragtime composers were active at the turn of the twentieth century-many of them itinerant African American pianists performing largely unnotated rags throughout the Missouri Valley states-it was Joplin who brought the genre into a fully realized, notated art form. These pianists, almost all male and rarely formally trained, were brilliant improvisers who earned their livelihoods in the so-called "tenderloin districts." Often referred to as "professors," they formed a vibrant musical network that fueled the ragtime craze from roughly 1890 until World War I. Joplin himself stood apart. Born in Texarkana shortly after the Civil War to a formerly enslaved father and a freeborn mother from Kentucky, he showed early musical promise and received formal instruction from a Czech-Jewish immigrant teacher. Joplin's respect for disciplined musical training-and his sense of obligation to the genre-shaped the course of ragtime history.

Em Julho is the second album by singer Elsa Johanna Mohr and guitarist Flávio Nunes, following their 2023 debut Passadinha. Recorded in Bonn in August 2025, the album brings together Brazilian classics and original songs in an intimate, warm setting shaped by voice, guitar, and subtle rhythmic detail. The repertoire moves from "Água de Coco" and "Tico-Tico no Fubá" to Mohr's own compositions, including "Beijo da Lua," "Jaguar," and the title track "Em Julho." Drawing on Mohr's deep connection to Brazilian language and culture and Nunes's virtuosic seven-string guitar playing, Em Julho blends Música Popular Brasileira, singer-songwriter intimacy, and jazz-inflected elegance. The result is a musical summer of warmth, longing, and Brazilian joie de vivre-light, lyrical, and transportive.

A jubilant dialogue between Mandingo music and acoustic jazz, «The Following» was born from the collaboration between French jazz pianist Olivier Hutman and Senegalese kora player Lamine Cissokho. Each track, which blends modern improvisation with elements of traditional music, acts as a bridge that enriches the global musical heritage. This exceptional project is enhanced by the participation of the legendary American bluesman Eric Bibb. Essential for all lovers of jazz, blues, and world music. Augustin Bondoux / Patrick Frémeaux

This box set brings together three major albums by Riccardo del Fra, an essential double bassist and composer on the European jazz scene. From the intimacy of the duets on A Sip of Your Touch, a sensitive and deeply personal tribute, to the ambitious orchestral writing of My Chet My Song, Riccardo del Fra explores the legacy of Chet Baker while reinventing it. With Moving People, he anchors his approach in a resolutely contemporary language: open, committed music inspired by the upheavals of today's world. Through these three complementary facets emerges the portrait of a complete musician, exploring and reshaping memory while always looking to the future, for whom sound, silence, and precision remain essential. A reference box set for understanding the aesthetic of the great Italian double bassist. Augustin Bondoux / Patrick Frémeaux

Sonny Criss is an unsung hero in the history of jazz. A brilliant alto saxophonist of the bebop era, his unparalleled talent nevertheless remained in the shadow of Charlie Parker. Published at the same time as Alain Gerber's biographical novel Ne laissez pas le soleil se lever sur vos larmes (Don't Let the Sun Rise on Your Tears), this anthology highlights the musician's extraordinary virtuosity and expressiveness. An unexpected tribute to one of the greatest forgotten masters of 20th-century jazz. Patrick Frémeaux

In Good Company marks the powerful debut of Argentine alto saxophonist Tomás Martínez on SteepleChase in June 2026. At just 26 Martínez brings a rich tone, agile bebop phrasing, and a deep command of jazz tradition. The album features two standout groups: a New York quartet with Michael Weiss, David Wong, and Kenny Washington, recorded at the legendary Van Gelder Studio, and a vibrant trio session from Buenos Aires with Paul Sikivie and Teo Pérez. Mixing classics, bebop lines and originals, Martínez honors mentors like Charlie Parker, Barry Harris, and Charles McPherson while asserting a voice entirely his own. A fresh, swinging new presence on the international jazz scene. Martínez has performed at major venues across Argentina and Europe, and was named a Distinguished Personality and Cultural Ambassador of his hometown. He is also an active educator, teaching jazz saxophone at the college level and leading workshops and masterclasses. Currently based between Buenos Aires and New York, he continues to perform, record, and teach.

Horace Parlan’s Glad I Found You is his second quintet date for SteepleChase which captures a rare meeting of inspired musicians at a peak moment, recorded in Copenhagen with Thad Jones — making a vibrant late career comeback — and the always inventive Eddie Harris. Parlan leads the quintet full of warmth, swing and spontaneous interplay. The album blends Parlan’s own tunes, soulful obscurities, and modern jazz classics like “Afternoon in Paris,” all delivered with the rhythmic looseness and deep blues feeling that defined his style. This new 24bit/96kHz remaster brings fresh clarity to one of Parlan’s most spirited SteepleChase sessions, revealing the nuance and energy of a group of masters enjoying every moment together. “...it’s another fine addition to Parlan’s discography.” (Jazz Journal)

On June 19, Storyville Records releases Between Then and Now, a new trio album by acclaimed American pianist Christian Sands, joined by Danish bassist Thomas Fonnesbæk and Swedish drummer Rasmus Kihlberg. An international collaboration that captures contemporary jazz at the intersection of American tradition and Nordic musical sensibility. The album features nine tracks, balancing original compositions by Sands and Fonnesbæk with inspired reinterpretations of jazz standards and classic repertoire by Bobby Timmons, Richard Rodgers, Luiz Bonfá, and John Coltrane. Recorded in the spirit of Copenhagen's jazz tradition, it presents jazz as both a living art form of the present and a dialogue with it's past-hence the title Between Then and Now. The collaboration grew from Sands' relationship with the Copenhagen jazz scene, initiated when former Montmartre musical director Christian Brorsen discovered him online and invited him to Denmark. Like earlier generations of American jazz musicians, including Ben Webster and Dexter Gordon, Sands quickly became a compelling presence in Copenhagen, where attentive listening and subtle interplay guide every performance. Over the years he has been a frequent guest in Denmark and loved by the audience there. Together, the trio represents a truly international jazz language. Sands is celebrated for his virtuosic piano playing, rich harmonic imagination, and improvisational energy. Fonnesbæk, one of Europe's leading bassists, offers melodic clarity and technical brilliance shaped by the Danish jazz tradition, while Kihlberg contributes a refined rhythmic approach marked by elegance, precision, and responsiveness. Together they create a compelling sound of openness, yet you always feel the classic American jazz tradition in the music. This is modern American/Scandinavian music, not just jazz. Listen to Sands' inventive arrangement of "Giant Leaves," which merges John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" with Joseph Kosma's "Autumn Leaves," served as a tribute to legendary Danish drummer Alex Riel, who influenced both Sands and generations of jazz musicians in Europe. Original compositions such as Sands' "Where Children Still Play" and "Where the Light Settles," and Fonnesbæk's "Searching in Sahara" reveal the trio's lyrical and exploratory approach. The Nordic hymn "Til ungdommen (To the Youth / Kringsatt av Fiender)" is another beautiful example of how this trio sounds together. Enjoy this contemporary recording with three of the most interesting musicians on the Scandinavian and American jazz scenes right now.

This June 19, Danish pianist Ole Matthiessen, one of the most inventive voices in Scandinavian jazz, celebrates his 80th birthday with the release of Subcurrents on Storyville Records-a remarkable compilation spanning more than five decades of musical exploration. The album brings together seven performances from 1968 to 2025, offering a rare glimpse into some alternative, improvisational currents that have defined Matthiessen's career. From the early energy of the Poul Ehlers Quartet in 1968, featuring the rare collaboration with free-jazz drummer Bo de Richelieu and a young Jesper Zeuthen, to his contributions in Erling Kroner's Quintet in 1970, Matthiessen's pianism has always blended melodic sensitivity with a restless curiosity. The album also includes the electrifying Turkish-inspired jazz of Atilla Engin Group in 1981, where Matthiessen fuses complex rhythms with the swinging spirit of jazz, as well as boundary-pushing improvisations with Global Units in 2011, incorporating electronics and experimental textures. Later recordings, such as Testmann Jazz in 2023, highlight Matthiessen's lyrical side, paying homage to Ben Webster while demonstrating his enduring command of ensemble interplay. Framing the album are two solo improvisations, "Subcurrent 1" and "Subcurrent 2," recorded in 2025 at The Village Studio, capturing the pianist at his most spontaneous-exploring sound, touch, and flow in real time with no rehearsals or retakes. Subcurrents is more than a retrospective; it is a journey through the subtle undercurrents of jazz and the threads connecting tradition, experimentation, and collaboration across decades. Produced, remastered, and annotated by Matthiessen himself, the album presents both longtime fans and new listeners with an intimate portrait of a musician whose adventurous spirit remains undiminished at 80.

John McNeil (March 23, 1948 – September 27, 2024) launched his professional career with debut LP "Embarkation” SCS 1099) on SteepleChase in 1978 a few hours before he turned 30. Age 30 was his goal to release his first and he remarked “I just made it!” John McNeil’s There Is No Greater Love (SCCD 34007) unveils a previously unheard 1983 Odense, Denmark session, capturing the trumpeter at a creative peak during his extensive Scandinavian tour. Joined by Danish masters Jesper Lundgaard (bass) and Aage Tanggaard (drums), McNeil delivers a warm, incisive set blending standards, bebop classics, and his own “Out”. His bright, agile phrasing — long praised for its roots in Miles, Hubbard, and the Parker lineage—meets a deeply swinging Nordic rhythm team. This newly discovered trio date highlights McNeil’s lyrical clarity, spontaneous invention, and enduring place in the modern jazz tradition.

Swedish vocalist Anna Pauline celebrates over two decades in jazz with her new album, Lucky To Be Me, out June 26 on Storyville Records. The album is a culmination of years of artistic exploration, mentorship, and collaborative discovery. It features standout performances, including a trumpet solo by jazz legend Randy Brecker on Pauline's original composition "Just One Song" and a duet with Janis Siegel of The Manhattan Transfer on the title track. This 10-track recording includes one original composition and nine interpretations of jazz standards, cinematic favorites, and musical-theatre classics. The repertoire reflects Pauline's deep engagement with the Great American Songbook, the narrative richness of musical theatre, and the improvisational possibilities of jazz. Each track captures a moment of musical conversation and spontaneous discovery, anchored by Pauline's luminous voice and emotional depth. The project gained momentum in 2023, when Pauline met Siegel in Sweden through pianist Mattias Nilsson. Their first duet sparked a musical understanding that quickly evolved into mentorship and collaboration. Siegel later introduced Pauline to pianist, arranger, and producer John Di Martino, whose arrangements and artistic direction shape the album's sound. Di Martino assembled a group of top New York jazz musicians and crafted each arrangement to showcase both Pauline's voice and the ensemble's improvisational interplay. The sessions were recorded in New York with a strong emphasis on live interaction, allowing the music to unfold naturally. For Pauline, Lucky To Be Me realizes a long-held dream while marking a personal and musical turning point. Recording in New York, the birthplace of much of the music that inspired her, was both symbolic and deeply meaningful. Working closely with Di Martino, Pauline blended her Nordic sensibility with the rhythmic vitality and storytelling of American jazz. This creative dialogue has produced arrangements that honor the original material while highlighting her distinctive interpretive voice. This collaborative approach shapes the album's repertoire, which combines an original composition with reinterpretations of classics from jazz, film, and musical theatre. Tracks like Leonard Bernstein's "Lucky To Be Me" and Michel Legrand's "Les Parapluies de Cherbourg" showcase Pauline's capacity to inhabit each song fully, while Rodgers & Hammerstein's "The Sound of Music" and Josef Myrow's "Autumn Nocturne" highlight her subtle phrasing and improvisational creativity. Collaborators including saxophonist Aaron Heick, trumpeter Freddie Hendricks, and percussionists Khalil Kwame Bell and Vince Cherico bring drive and textural richness to each performance. Recorded at Trading 8s Recording Studio in New Jersey, with duets tracked in Sweden and mixed and mastered by Dave Darlington at Bass Hit Studio in New York City, the album unites two musical worlds: a Nordic jazz voice in dialogue with American tradition, enriched by mentorship and musical lineage. Lucky To Be Me is a celebration of connection, creativity, and the joy of jazz storytelling, bringing together musicians, traditions, and generations in a shared musical journey.