My own tastes lie primarily toward a sort of meltpop on the boundaries of vocal jazz. From that spectrum:
Dumama - Towards an Expanse Claire Dickson - Balance Maddie Ashman - her side Momoko Gill - Momoko
On the improv/abstract end:
Harrington / Jaffe / Shiroishi - Making Colors Ambrose Akinmusire & Mary Halvorson - Slo-Mo Neon Luminate Hoverings Microfiche - With Time
More composed/melodic:
Phillip Golub - Partisan Ship Adam O’Farrill - Elephant [Ahmed] - Play Monk
More electronic/groove derived:
Naná Rizzini - Epiblast Your Brother’s Keeper & Gary Bartz - Where Rivers Meet SML - Spontaneous Music Live Bruno Pernadas - unlikely, maybe
More Ambient:
Vladislav Delay Quintet - vd5 Memotone - Warm Shadows
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Only SML of those (so far! There’s a lot in there that sounds very appealing), which I liked and will definitely come back to
Predictable (for me), but [Ahmed] doing Thelonius Monk feels like it was made for me. Will inevitably be in my top 5 at the end of the year
Dogon AD by Julius Hemphill, only a reissue but really one of the best ever
Also liked the Harrington / Jaffe / Shiroishi - Making Colors mentioned by uns_nd a lot
Definitely more that escape my mind right now
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Just the Jeff Parker for me too, good one as always. Been meaning to watch the performance of it which is on YouTube I believe. Shamefully haven’t listened to much new jazz so far this year.
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I missed voting for the Miles Okazaki large group album in the new release thread so I’ll amplify it here, it’s a good one.
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Great suggestions all, looking forward to going through them.
Can’t remember who recommended this upthread but this is my favourite album of the year in all genres.
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The Jeff Parker album is great and so are the other two with the same quartet. In fact they’re even better as they’re both double albums!
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This is nice, (mostly) more reserved than I expect from something with Mats on it.
I wanted to like the Jeff Parker more but I’m a headphone listener and I find the panning situation on it pretty distracting.
fucking hell this is good isn’t it. sounds like mahavishnu
Album · 2026 · 7 Songs
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badmanreturns:
sounds like mahavishnu
This is a big shout, looking forward to this.
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Keep remembering I haven’t heard this yet, thanks. Last album was great.
Enjoyed the last album and tour, forgot to listen to this one.
Saw Messthetics tour their first album but think Lewis adds so much to them
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Live his sax made me feel like my brains were being sucked out through my ears. Like you could feel the air pressure in the room change. Not a completely pleasant sensation but a good gig!
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seems like he’s playing cafe oto next week… expensive but tempting
petec
8 July 2026 19:41
1165
I too haven’t heard this one yet.
petec
8 July 2026 19:44
1166
Just listening to Abstraction is deliverance via the oto bandcamp link.
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Damn this is good. Was wary but it’s a big improvement from the first album.
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Bummed I missed their performance at Cafe Oto last year.
Really enjoying the SML ‘Spontaneous Live’ album which features half of Jeff Parker’s ETA Quartet. Is it jazz? Who gives a fuck?
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