From renowned bassist and composer Ben Wolfe comes Any Time After Now, a deeply expressive new album that brings together some of the most exciting voices in modern jazz. Featuring Joel Ross (vibraphone), Sullivan Fortner (piano), Chris Lewis (tenor saxophone), and Aaron Kimmel (drums), the album explores original compositions with elegance, swing, and a cinematic sense of storytelling. Wolfe's signature sound - lyrical, grounded, and harmonically rich - anchors a set of ten tracks that range from uptempo swingers and bluesy grooves to lyrical waltzes and a closing bossa nova. Any Time After Now is a journey through mood and melody, featuring standout soloing and deeply intuitive ensemble interplay. Perfect for fans of acoustic jazz, post-bop, and artists like Ron Carter, Christian McBride, and Bobby Hutcherson, this album blends tradition with a contemporary touch that feels timeless.

Happy Today, the third album from guitarist/bandleader Jeff Parker's long-running ETA IVtet, was recorded live at Lodge Room in Los Angeles on August 20, 2025. This fresh entry into the IVtet's catalog captures Parker and the band - including drummer Jay Bellerose, bassist Anna Butterss, and saxophonist Josh Johnson - on record outside of the now-shuttered Highland Park micro-club ETA for the first time.

In 1696, the Salzburg court conductor Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber described his print of seven chamber suites ("Partien") for two string instruments and basso continuo as "artful vocal harmony" in ornate Latin. These trio sonatas are of a special kind, because the two upper voices are not limited to the typical imitations practised in Italy at that time, but Biber allows the solo voices to be played in a free, expressive manner. He allows them to shine in a different light in virtuoso interplay above the bass foundation, repeatedly in full-bodied polyphony or in chords. In addition, new timbres are created through the use of the violin, viola and viola d'amore in various combinations and the 'detuning' of the strings (scordatura) to achieve different string tensions and thus give the instruments a sharper or softer sound. This recording is the third installment of the Biber recordings with Harmonie Universelle.

Ghalia Vauthier, known professionally as Ghalia Volt, is a Belgian blues rock singer, guitarist, drummer and songwriter. She has been involved in the release of five albums since 2016, including Mississippi Blend (2019) released on Ruf Records. It peaked at number three on the Billboard Top Blues Albums Chart.

Grammy Award-winning bassist Christian Dillingham presents 'As It Relates To Now, ' out May 15, 2026 on CD and vinyl. With Greg Ward on alto saxophone and Jeremy Cunningham on drums, the trio delivers a groove-driven, emotionally charged modern jazz record shaped by the tensions of our time-powerful, searching and deeply human.

HOPE

Alto saxophonist and flutist Alan Braufman first emerged as a singular voice in New York's 1970s loft-jazz scene with his 1975 debut Valley of Search, a record that would later be recognized as a landmark of spiritual and free jazz. After decades outside the spotlight, Braufman returned with a new wave of acclaim, releasing two highly regarded albums in 2020 and 2024 that reestablished him as both an essential elder and a vital contemporary presence-long described as "a legend in free music" (Gilles Peterson / BBC). Recorded in a single day in the fall of 2025, Anthem for Peace is a fully new studio album that captures Braufman in the present tense. Leading a quartet with vibraphonist Patricia Brennan, bassist Luke Stewart, and drummer Chad Taylor, he delivers concise, hook-forward compositions that move fluidly between gospel-tinged anthems, buoyant post-bop, and hypnotic, eastern-influenced themes. Brennan's vibraphone-shimmering acoustically and occasionally treated electronically-adds depth and color, while Stewart and Taylor form a deeply locked, responsive rhythm section. The result is music that is "playful and light, yet texturally dense" (NPR): optimistic, focused, and driven by a clear sense of forward motion.

In the Renaissance and Baroque eras Seville, already a cultural melting pot, became Spain's principal port for the routes to South America. Named after the twelve-sided 'golden' tower that dominates the River Guadilquivir in Seville, La Torre del Oro, is the latest album from Christina Pluhar's ensemble L'Arpeggiata. Tracing and mixing the musical cross-currents that run between Spain and Central and South America - Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina and Chile - it takes the 1500s as the starting point for a captivating journey that reaches the modern day. For La Torre del Oro singers Celine Scheen, Luciana Mancini and Vincenzo Capezzuto join the 13 instrumentalists of L'Arpeggiata, led by Christina Pluhar on the theorbo. Among the other instruments to be heard are baroque guitar and harp, Venezuelan cuatro and harp, cornetto, harpsichord, accordion and maracas.

Vinyl LP pressing. The life and career of Billie Holiday was underscored by triumphs and tragedies. One of the greatest artists of her generation, no-one conveys deep emotion better than 'Lady Day'. Hers was a new jazz voice, influenced by jazz instrumentalists, with it's ability to manipulate tempo and phrasing in bold and enthralling ways. The great Frank Sinatra was both a friend and a fan of her music. He said of her in 1958, "With few exceptions, every major pop singer in the U.S. during her generation has been touched in some way by her genius. It is Billie who was, and still remains, the greatest single musical influence on me." In fact, her legacy carries across the generations, with artists such as Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell, and Amy Winehouse citing her as an influence. This collection traces an important six years of her early recording career which built the platform for the huge commercial success she enjoyed during the mid to late 40s, before she began to succumb to the lifestyle which eventually destroyed her. It features iconic and beautifully harrowing recordings such as "Summertime", "Strange Fruit" Night & Day", "God Bless The Child" and "Solitude", demonstrating her unique and unmistakable way of interpreting the songs. It is a fascinating and beguiling musical journey.

The Chevalier de Saint-George is in many respects an exceptional figure. Born in Guadeloupe in the eighteenth century to an aristocrat and an enslaved woman, he received in Paris the education of a court gentleman: violinist, fencer, Freemason, participant in the Revolution, and conductor, he was also a composer. It is naturally to the violin that he dedicated his finest works, among which the concertos, marked by a virtuosity that is both unbridled and graceful, stand out in particular. Romuald Grimbert-Barre and the Orchestre national de Cannes pay tribute to this extraordinary life by pairing the Op. 5 and Op. 8 concertos with Thierry Pecou's Concerto Hommage a Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George. Through it's many biographical references, the work offers multiple poetic points of entry into the life of this singular and fascinating figure, who remains far too little known today.

Los Angeles-based composer Noah Meites releases a collection of his chamber music that chronicles his vibrant artistic voice and his role as an active member of that city's fertile contemporary music community. Featuring performances by Brightwork New Music, HOCKET, Linnea Powell, richi valitutto, New Thread Quartet, and Meites' own ensemble LA Signal Lab, COUNTING is a vital snapshot of a prolific artist in one of the United States' most vital new music scenes.

Cheo Hurtado, virtuoso of the cuatro and bandola guayanesa, presents part of the vast traditional Venezuelan repertoire, mainly derived from pre-baroque and baroque Hispanic music: melodic richness and rhythmic vigour. Cheo Hurtado (born Asdrúbal José Hurtado on 2 May 1960 in Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela) is one of the most celebrated virtuoso performers of the cuatro, a small four-stringed instrument central to Venezuelan folk tradition. The Spanish conquest reached Venezuela fairly early. Christopher Columbus had already landed near the Orinoco delta by his third journey, in 1498. As it was near to Santo Domingo and Cuba, which were the gates to all contact with the homeland, Venezuela was exposed to a good deal of musical input from Baroque Europe. In addition to church and secular art music, Spanish popular music forms were also introduced throughout the continent of South America. These musical forms may have already gained African and American influences while in Spain. In the course of time, they turned into traditional music. Cheo Hurtado learned to play the cuatro with his father, performed at an early age as a soloist, and was awarded several prizes. He has played with various groups, including Gurufío (one of the most popular bands in Venezuela). He also plays the bandola llanera, mandolina, and the Cuban tres.

Violinist Mario Pérez presents the first complete recording of Felipe Libón's 30 Caprices (1775-1838), released by IBS Classical. This extraordinary project, recorded at the Auditorio Manuel de Falla and produced by Paco Moya, stands as a brilliant example of artistic research through performance-a dialogue between past and present that restores to the repertoire one of Spain's most fascinating yet overlooked violinists. A disciple of Giovanni Battista Viotti, Libón was born in Cádiz into a French family and became one of the most refined violinists of his generation. Active in the courts of Lisbon, Madrid, and Paris, he was admired for his elegance, precision, and expressive warmth. Performing on a Stradivari violin and pioneering the use of the modern Tourte bow, Libón combined the grace of the Classical style with a technical brilliance that anticipated Paganini. With both intellectual rigor and musical sensitivity, Mario Pérez-Associate Principal in the Spanish National Orchestra and member of the Trío Musicalis-revives Libón's forgotten masterpiece using his Andrea Castagneri (1696-1747) violin, whose rich and luminous tone connects the listener to the sound world of the early nineteenth century. Each of the thirty Caprices focuses on a distinct technical or expressive aspect, forming a complete and vivid compendium of violin technique and artistry.

Ícaro is a compelling recital for cello and piano that brings together four luminous works rooted in early-20th-century Spanish musical nationalism, enriched by Catalan folk colour and French Impressionist refinement. Cellist Alex Olmedo Duynslaeger and pianist Fiona Mato present a carefully curated programme that combines rediscovery with repertoire favourites, offering strong appeal to both specialists and a broader classical audience. The album opens with Joaquín Nin de Castellanos's Spanish Suite for cello and piano, a vivid journey through regional dances and melodies shaped by the Franco-Spanish aesthetic of Paris between the wars. A major highlight is the world-premiere recording of the Sonata in A major by Lluís Benejam, rescued from the archives of the Barcelona Conservatory: an elegant, finely crafted work that blends Impressionist sonorities, rhythmic vitality, and lyrical depth. Manuel Oltra's mature Sonata for Cello and Piano follows, notable for it's dynamic dialogue, structural clarity, and expressive intensity, before the programme closes with Gaspar Cassadó's celebrated Requiebros, dedicated to Pau Casals and performed here with remarkable freedom and character. Ícaro is both an artistic statement and a discovery album: ideal for distributors seeking high-quality repertoire with premiere value, strong interpretative personalities, and a narrative that connects myth, heritage, and modern performance in a highly attractive commercial package.

Spanish pianists Juan Lago and Belén Navarro present in this album a repertoire that has featured prominently in their concerts over the past decade: works by non-Spanish composers inspired by Spanish popular music. Thanks to the piano-a truly universal instrument-Debussy, Ravel, Chabrier, and Rimsky-Korsakov not only developed their early compositional voices, but also found a vehicle through which their orchestral masterpieces could be adapted and performed beyond the concert hall. Through their own arrangements or those by trusted collaborators, these works have reached intimate settings and private homes around the world. The keyboard's orchestral richness-especially in four-hand performance-and it's ability to imitate or evoke the timbral variety of an orchestra allow the Lago-Navarro Duo to showcase their artistry and technical command in a beloved and familiar repertoire, deeply ingrained in the collective musical memory of the Spanish people. In this album, Ibéria, Rapsodie espagnole, España, and Capriccio espagnol are brought together in a fresh concert format, allowing the musical echoes of Spain to resound with renewed brilliance. Belén Navarro & Juan Lago Piano Duo The well-established Lago-Navarro piano duo-formed in 1997 by Spanish pianists Juan Lago and Belén Navarro-presents in this album a repertoire that has featured prominently in their concerts over the past decade: works by non-Spanish composers inspired by Spanish popular music.

The coming together of the percussionist and marimbist Vassilena Serafimova and the Quatuor Ardeo,(Ardeo String Quartet) the encounter of two worlds that inspire new repertoires as well as moods and impressions, recreated partly through original arrangements. This is a subtle balance between the marimba coupled with the vibraphone and the strings: the former, pulsating and silky, brings a more pronounced rhythmic dimension and occasionally takes on a concertante role; the latter offers a warm lyricism and a texture at times dense or transparent, but always supple. A delicate balance, too, when it comes to paying homage to the works without diminishing their original artistic strength. As the works and arrangements unfold, the journey takes shape like a voyage journal where age-old traditions meet fresh inspirations. Melodies in a Bottle aims to be less a programme than a passage, one of maritime or urban perspectives, of real or imagined landscapes, of music whose history is rewritten with every note. A meeting space where curiosity becomes an attractive driving force.

Pomponio Nenna was born in Bari in 1556 and studied there under Stefano Felis. He then moved to Naples, where he began his career as a composer in a stimulating spirit of emulation; Nenna and Carlo Gesualdo each influenced the other's madrigal style in their treatment of text, dissonance, and chromatic modulation. Nenna's vocal works are complemented here by a number of organ pieces by local composers such as Giovanni Maria Trabaci and Giovanni di Macque, transcribed here for a consort of viols.

2026 release.

Con silencio vibrante presents a compelling portrait of the Spanish and Latin American musical avant-garde during one of it's most creative and transformative periods. Performed by the acclaimed ensemble Taller Sonoro, the album brings together eight chamber works composed between 1963 and 1976, offering a rare and illuminating perspective on a repertoire that remains insufficiently documented. The recording traces a dense network of aesthetic ideas, personal connections, and transatlantic exchanges that shaped mid-20th-century contemporary music. Serial rigor, controlled chance, graphic notation, literary inspiration, and refined timbral exploration coexist in works by Mario Lavista, Joan Guinjoan, Aurelio de la Vega, Graciela Paraskevaídis, Gonzalo de Olavide, Enrique Raxach, Jesús Villa-Rojo, and Luis de Pablo-several of them presented here in world-premiere recordings. From the fragile, poetic resonance of Lavista's Quotations to the architectural clarity of de Pablo's Cesuras, the album reveals a shared search for new expressive territories, while preserving the distinct voices of each composer. Silence, texture, rhythm, and space become structural elements in a music that balances intellectual rigor with striking expressive power. Recorded in Seville and produced by IBS Classical, Con silencio vibrante confirms Taller Sonoro as one of today's leading interpreters of contemporary repertoire and stands as an essential release for listeners interested in the avant-garde heritage of the 20th century.

A vocation for experimentation was unquestionably an essential component of Bach's mindset. It was a desire to surpass, in every possible respect, whatever had been achieved up until then in a given genre or musical form, while extending to the utmost the resources and technical capabilities of individual instruments and the human voice (and thus also of individual performers). All of this was to be accomplished in the search for a perfection that is both aesthetic and spiritual. This ceaseless aspiration-cultivated from the beginning to the very end of his life-to go beyond the limits shapes the works selected for the second solo album by harpsichordist Cristiano Gaudio, whose debut recording was awarded a Diapason d'Or and Classica's Choc de l'Année. From the dazzling virtuosity of the Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue to the contrapuntal complexity of the Ricercare a 6 from The Musical Offering; from the art of transcription, magnified in the arrangement of the Violin Sonata no. 2, to the "twelve-tone" last fugue of The Well-Tempered Clavier Book I, whose subject exceptionally includes all the notes of the chromatic scale-all these works embody that bold erosion of limits that Bach's music pursued as it's true mission. They give both performers and listeners, for over three centuries, the thrill of an intellectual adventure-indeed even a physical experience-that is constantly on the edge.

Schubert's late string quartets are important for their unprecedented emotional depth, formal expansion, and daring harmonic language. They transform classical quartet traditions by infusing them with romantic intensity, confronting themes of mortality, inner conflict, and lyric beauty. Through large-scale structures, stark contrasts, and expressive unity, these works reshaped the expressive possibilities of chamber music and influenced the development of the Romantic quartet tradition.

This new b•records album sees the unclassifiable Jocelyn Mienniel (composer) and Fiona Monbet (musical director) collaborate on a resolutely hybrid reinterpretation of Gustav Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, created during a residency at the Royaumont Foundation. Based on an original text by Olivier Cadiot, the creation combines a chamber orchestra, a jazz ensemble, traditional Chinese instruments, electronic music, a children's choir, and vocals, drawing on improvisation and literary cut-up techniques. This transfiguration reveals Das Lied von der Erde as a resolutely modern work, whose humanism unfolds with renewed intensity.

Dušan Bogdanovic's inspiration behind this project came from writing a compilation of world music pieces for his young son, but after hearing the duo of Antigoni Goni and Eleonora Perretta perform, he greatly expanded the idea. The abundant spirit of these folk inspirations is exemplified by their variety - from 17th-century chanson to Irish fiddle jigs; humorous Dalmatian songs to a Sephardic romance; and from the dances of south-eastern Iran to Balinese rice-pounding music. To introduce a popular flavour, he has added arrangements of three beloved Neapolitan songs.

Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1875-1911) was both composer and painter, a rare synesthetic talent whose music mirrors his visionary visual art. This album presents 35 piano works tracing his evolution from intimate folk-inspired preludes to bold, chromatic explorations, illuminated by Lithuanian tradition, mystical symbolism, and the influence of his mother. Pianist Geert Callaert brings tender clarity and interpretive freedom to Ciurlionis' delicate yet daring scores, offering listeners a unique journey through one of the early 20th century's most singular artistic minds.

Tchaikovsky composed the Variations on a Rococo Theme for cellist Wilhelm Fitzenhagen, who re-ordered the variations, infuriating the composer. The cello part for the virtuosic Pezzo capriccioso was also altered by it's dedicatee, Anatoly Brandukov. In the performances heard here, Tchaikovsky's original intentions are restored. To accompany these pieces, Gabriel Schwabe has provided two of his own arrangements - the Canzonetta from the Violin Concerto and Valse sentimentale from the Six Morceaux. The album ends with the second version - never before recorded - of the romantic fantasy overture Romeo and Juliet.