An artful reimagining of American standards from the 1920s through the 1950s; a Brazilian jazz fusion giant’s first studio album in 15 years; an exploration of the impact and abstraction of time. All this and more are in our list of ten new jazz albums released this month (April 2022) that you need to know about.
Catherine Russell, Send for Me (Dot Time)
Release date: April 1
Catherine Russell interprets standards and lesser-known gems of the jazz canon on her forthcoming album, Send for Me, her follow-up to her GRAMMY-nominated 2019 full-length, Alone Together. The new LP includes “songs that inspire or touch me in some way,” explains Russell via a statement. “When I find a song I like, it haunts me until I learn it.” Order it here.
Dave Douglas, Secular Psalms (Greenleaf)
Release date: April 1
Dave Douglas’ new ten-piece suite with cellist Tomeka Reid and a wide array of sounds ranging from Medieval instruments to modern-day electronics is an evocative piece commissioned by the city of Ghent, Belgium, for the 600th anniversary of Hubert and Jan van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece. Recorded remotely, Secular Psalms combines music old and new into a contemporary clash of the sacred and the profane. Order it here.
Gerald Clayton, Bells on Sand (Blue Note)
Release date: April 1
Pianist/composer Gerald Clayton explores the impact and abstraction of time over eleven tracks of fresh orchestration and original music. Bells on Sand features contributions from his mentor Charles Lloyd on saxophone and his father John Clayton on bass. It also features drummer Justin Brown and new collaborator MARO on vocals. Order it here.
Cameron Graves, Live from the Seven Spheres (Artistry/Mack Avenue)
Release date: April 8
On his latest digital-only full-length, pianist/composer Cameron Graves continues to expand on his unique marriage of 1970s jazz-rock fusion and classical music. Live from the Seven Spheres finds him reinterpreting and reimagining songs from his previous two studio albums with his core quartet, featuring guitarist Colin Cook, bassist Max Gerl and drummer Mike Mitchell. Order it here.
Fergus McCreadie, Forest Floor (Edition)
Release date: April 8
Forest Floor is a new trio album by Scottish pianist Fergus McCreadie, on which he continues to blend the folk music traditions of his native land with the vocabulary of jazz. The new record both builds on themes previously explored on 2021’s Cairn and marks a further evolution in his music, which he defines via a statement as “more developed and rounded.” Order Forest Floor here.
Tord Gustavsen, Opening (ECM)
Release date: April 8
Pianist Tord Gustavsen’s new trio album, Opening, was recorded at Lugano’s fabled Auditorium Stelio Moro in Switzerland and features bassist Steinar Raknes and drummer Jarle Vespestad. Together, the three musicians make use of innovative approaches to sound and technique in a fresh investigation into Scandinavian folk hymns and jazz. Order it here.
Chad Fowler and Matthew Shipp, Old Stories (Mahakala)
Release date: April 15
A completely improvised duet session, Old Stories documents two acute improvisational minds at work in real-time and the first real-life encounter between Chad Fowler and Matthew Shipp. Owing to century-old reference points both players rely on, as well as the tension in their contrasting approaches, this project is a meeting between the saxophonist’s Southern R&B influence and the pianist’s unique brand of modern improvisation. Order it here.
Flora Purim, If You Will (Strut)
Release date: April 29
On her new album, Brazilian jazz fusion giant Flora Purim gathers some of her closest collaborators, including her husband and creative partner Airto Moreira, to explore new compositions and some of her favorite personal songs from across her varied career. If You Will, conceived as a celebration of her music and life, is the vocalist’s first studio album in 15 years. Order it here.
Tigran Hamasyan, StandArt (Nonesuch)
Release date: April 29
StandArt marks pianist/composer Tigran Hamasyan’s first album of American standards, reimagining compositions from the 1920s through the 1950s in his own artful and explorative way alongside bassist Matt Brewer and drummer Justin Brown. The record also features guest contributions by Ambrose Akinmusire, Joshua Redman and Mark Turner. Order it here.
Trombone Shorty, Lifted (Blue Note)
Release date: April 29
New Orleans music icon Trombone Shorty bottles up the raw power of his genre-bending shows on his new studio album, Lifted, his first album in five years. The record offers ten explosive tracks recorded at his own Buckjump Studio with producer Chris Seefried. It features several notable guests and is dedicated to the memory of his mother. Order it here.
Featured photo by Justen Williams.
