For You, For Me For Evermore

One For Bird

Embarkation

Blue And Brown

Alto Blue

Award-winning American saxophonist/composer Bob Rockwell grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota and after touring the USA with various rock and r&b bands in the late 60s and early 70s Rockwell settled in New York to seek his place in jazz. He established himself quickly playing with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Tito Puente, Ben Sidran, Freddie Hubbard, Ray Drummond, Billy Hart, Tom Harrell, Richie Beirach, among others, demonstrating his immense skills and versatility. Since 1983 Rockwell calls Denmark his home where he leads his band and performs and records all over Europe. Rockwell recorded eight leader albums for SteepleChase. This his second release features the late pianist Butch Lacy (1947-2018), another American expatriate of his generation. "Rockwell is simply one of the heaviest players in his genre anywhere." (Thomas Conrad – JazzTimes) “Bob Rockwell is a warm-toned tenor player whose love of Coltrane becomes most apparent at higher intensity levels. For most of the time this is spirited but non-too-aggressive modern tenor playing.” (John Robert Brown – Jazz Journal on On The Natch)

Faun

So In Love

Shades Of Love

There Goes My Heart

Strike Zone

Blues Holiday

My One And Only Love

Sunburst

Angolian Cry

Tenor saxophonist Rich Perry returns with Dream, his 28th release on SteepleChase, reaffirming his place as one of the most introspective and lyrical voices in modern jazz. Joined by his long-standing quartet—Gary Versace (piano), Jay Anderson (bass), and John Riley (drums)—Perry crafts a set that is both timeless and deeply personal reflecting his evolving artistry and minimalist elegance. Critics have long praised Perry’s “impeccable taste” and “subtle articulation” (JazzTimes), his “adventurous yet highly listenable” approach (All About Jazz), and his ability to “imbue each tune with intense feeling.” Perry summarizes Dream as “a document of where I’m at right now…. this is the kind of album I like to listen to.

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.

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.

For his 5th leader album Tom Guarna selects his favourite titles from the bop repertoire. Backed by pianist Peter Zak, who is well versed in bop, and Zak's regular trio: bassist Paul Gill and drummer Willie Jones, Guarna achieves brilliant results with authenticity and creativity. “… Peter (Zak) shares with Tom a love and familiarity with the bop repertoire and has great admiration for such players from the genre as George Wallington, Bud Powell and Elmo Hope. Not forgetting hornmen like Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean, Miles Davis and John Coltrane. All those men were products of the well-spring of music that signalled an evolutionary, rather than revolutionary, surge towards a fresh course.” (Mark Gardner from the linernotes)

Peace In The Abstract

Tenor saxophonist Bill Barron (1927-1989) was already experimenting in the late 1940s with daring ideas of expression that Coltrane would pick up much later. Due to his untimely death this innovative stylist did not receive the wider recognition during his time. This release from among the last recorded material will hopefully serve as the powerful reminder of an artist with truly creative mind.

JazzTimes’ Chris Kelsey commented on Bill Barron Quintet – Live at Cobi’s (SCCD 31570): "Straight ahead tenor players who regularly stretch themselves and break a sweat in the process are too few and far between these days. That's what makes a record by someone like the late Bill Barron so attractive. Barron had no such problems cutting loose. He possessed an original voice-not revolutionary, but unique in its way. Live at Cobi's (Steeplechase) comes from a pair of late '80s concerts Barron gave not long before his death in 1989 at the age of 62. ….. Where are the new Bill Barrons - the mainstreamers who sound like no one but themselves? In this sequel CD tenor saxophonist Bill Barron (1927-1989) features his younger brother, pianist Kenny Barron.

Elite trombonist of the younger generation Vincent Gardner assembles sextet for his forth album on the label to showcase his enormous talent as arranger. “…Gardner is an impressive, well-rounded trombonist, fleet and nimble in a boppish uptempo zone and blessed with vocalistlike expressivity when elegance is required.” (Josef Woodard – JazzTimes on Gardner’s debut album “Elbowroom” SCCD 31580)

Vic Juris’ new album continues in the highly acclaimed guitar trio configuration of his earlier release “Omega Is The Alpha” SCCD 31696 , on which John Kelman of AAJ remarked, “….That Juris is working in an open-ended trio setting with two players of like-minded intent and similarly undervalued status, only makes Omega is the Alpha an even more exceptional album. …. it's also a sure bet as one of this year's finest guitar sets.” “….Juris is a favourite among guitarists, in part because his exceptional technique is all but masked by his dedication to playing interesting things…” (The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD)

SteepleChase is proud to present the first volume of quintessential Rich Perry Quartet live from New York’s newest and hottest jazz venue The Kitano Hotel on Park Avenue.