It takes a certain confidence for a debut jazz vocalist to resist the easy route of filling a first album with familiar standards. Rebecca Rafla does precisely the opposite on Fundamentally Unfinished, surrounding four thoughtfully reimagined classics with six originals that reveal a songwriter with many meaningful and deeply intimate things to express. Even more impressive, her romantic compositions hold their own alongside material by Cole Porter and other masters of the tr

Adventurous, swinging and impressively assured, Elastic Groove announces pianist/composer Colin Heshmat as a young artist with both a deep respect for jazz tradition and a refreshingly restless desire to push it somewhere personal. Across eight originals and three imaginatively reworked standards, the New York-based pianist leads a superb quartet with trumpeter Ryo Sasaki, bassist Yuma Takagi and drummer Ben Cliness, shaping passages of musical grace one moment, heading wildl

There’s nothing sleepy about Rob Dixon’s Naptown Soul. From the opening blast of “Sly Vibe,” the Indianapolis saxophonist and his stellar quartet—guitarist Dave Stryker, organist Sam Fribush and drummer Richard “Sleepy” Floyd—lock into a muscular soul-jazz pocket that honors the city’s legendary Indiana Avenue tradition while sounding thoroughly alive in the present. Dixon’s tenor and soprano saxophones are the commanding voices, but this is a true ensemble record, with every

There’s an immediate sense of occasion when Justin Pierce’s tenor saxophone enters Sway, but the real surprise is how effortlessly his Dallas-Fort Worth-based jazz quartet turns a collection of familiar standards into an unexpectedly vibrant, thoroughly alive contemporary set. Recorded in Dallas with vocalist Ashley Pierce—Justin’s wife and musical partner—alongside pianist Sean Michael Giddings, bassist Young Heo and drummer Matt Young, the ten-track set is steeped in classi

On his new single “Architecture of Belonging,” Noshir Mody turns his acoustic guitar into the voice of a soul searching for its place in the world. What begins with an intimate, woody murmur gradually expands into darker resonance, crystalline upper-register flights and increasingly intricate improvisations, the instrument seeming to question, reach, wrestle and ultimately find its way toward peace. Around those questing strings, Dutch vocalist, educator, psychologist and art

Somewhere between a sunset cruise, a tropical romance and a late-afternoon breeze off the ocean, Bradley Leighton’s “Big Island Smoothie” finds exactly the right musical temperature. The veteran smooth-jazz flutist’s new single is an inviting, groove-driven reintroduction that blends his trademark melodic flute with a deep, seductive bass foundation and an unmistakably island-kissed atmosphere. Co-written and co-produced with prominent smooth-jazz bassist Darryl Williams, “Bi

Some jazz musicians spend a lifetime refining a sound. After five decades of recording and performing with various ensembles, Greg Abate is determined not only to continue mastering his vibe but keep pushing its possibilities forward. On In the Moment, his latest Summit Records release by the Greg Abate Quartet, the veteran saxophonist and flutist surrounds himself with pianist Bill O’Connell, bassist Harvie S and drummer Steve Johns, a tightly knit unit whose collective chem

There’s a beautiful contradiction at the heart of Dony Felix’s Chosen Solitude: an album conceived in solitude that comes alive through community. The Miami-based Haitian bassist, composer and educator may have shaped these melodies during periods of intentional withdrawal, but once the music begins, solitude gives way to conversation—between bass and piano, jazz and Caribbean rhythm, acoustic and electronic colors, and an exceptional collection of musicians who bring their o

The Mint was already buzzing before Anna Duboc took the stage, but once she appeared, the room seemed to pulse with an entirely new voltage. Family, friends and devoted fans packed the storied Los Angeles club, responding to virtually every song with whoops, cheers and affectionate encouragement that made this perhaps the most exuberant and emotionally invested crowd I’ve seen at one of Anna’s shows. And she gave them plenty to cheer about. Since her April appearance at the v

A dog on a paddleboard, a rainbow glimpsed during a walk, the quiet of a Michigan winter, birds announcing the arrival of spring—James Filkins finds music in the seemingly everyday things that become extraordinary simply because he was there to experience them. On Dog Eared Days, the evocative, multi-dimensional fifth release from the Michigan fingerstyle guitarist, composer and sonic meanderer, he creates not only an album that intricately documents a life, but one with the

Sometimes the most revealing portrait of an artist comes from music created before he even knew the picture was taking shape. That’s certainly the case with Pat Melfi, whose remarkable musical life has unfolded across decades and multiple roles, from record-company executive, promoter and tour manager to personal manager for major recording artists. Before he ever imagined himself wearing those influential industry hats, he was a wise-beyond-his-years budding young songwriter

Brett Hellings - Photo by Robert Downs Sixty-five minutes can change the way you see a rock singer. Brett Hellings had already made his case at the Whisky a Go Go three months earlier, blasting through a roughly 30-minute set with enough force to suggest what he could unleash if he ever had the room to really stretch out. In early August at the equally legendary Troubadour, he finally had the time and space to do it. With the same restless hunger, a formidable seven-piece b