As the Fall semester and the calendar year wind down, so does the release schedule. Relatively few new records this month made time for catching up on records from earlier in the year that I missed, some of which will be featured in my upcoming “Year in Review” post, which I’ll publish just after the New Year. For now I’m sharing a few notable releases from this month…and a few holiday records, which have been arriving in my inbox since October.

Feel free to share your favorites from this month in the comments below and if there’s an upcoming release that you’d like me to feature, you can reach out here.

Thanks for reading!

The Month in Review – December 2024

For US audiences, bassist Lars Danielsson is probably the most recognized name in this trio of European jazz heavyweights. I’ve been following Finnish trumpeter Verneri Pohjola’s career since discovering Rubidium (Tum, 2013), his collaborative release with the trio Black Motor that…twelve years on…remains one of my favorite records. This TRIO recording brings Pohjola and Danielsson together with British guitarist John Parricelli at the legendary winery Château Palmer in Bordeaux for a stunning set. As someone who’s been a fan of the ACT label for a while but frustrated for the lack of US publicity, I’m glad the label is now on Bandcamp. For those that are new to the label, this recording is an excellent place to start.

One of the first live shows I ever saw after moving to New York City (the first time) was a trio performance at Small’s that featured Hoenig on drums (in Jean-Michel Pilc’s piano trio with François Moutin). That night I sat front-and-center — close enough to reach out and touch the piano — with my head down in amazement as the music washed over me. Listening to a recording (especially a studio record) is obviously less of an immersive, full-body experience, but in Tea for Three I hear all of the energy, inventiveness, dynamism, and wonder I heard that night at Small’s nearly twenty years ago — and have since come to expect from Hoenig’s groups. On such an interactive and collaborative effort it seems a little forced to single-out anyone’s individual contribution, but pianist Gadi Lehavi shines especially brightly. This album is my introduction to Lehavi’s work, though his performances were so inspired that I looked up his entire discography…and, as with Hoenig, will be eagerly awaiting each subsequent release.

This may qualify as a journalistic “conflict-of-interest,” but I’m shouting out my former piano teacher, Cliff Korman, for his new album. I met Korman serendipitously, when the plan that pianist Hilton Ruiz and I had made to continue my studies was tragically thwarted when Ruiz died after an altercation in New Orleans. In the aftermath my grad school professor Lewis Porter referred me to Korman with whom I studied primarily Brazilian repertoire, including the history of fusions of Brazilian popular music and jazz. A native of the City, Korman now lives, teaches, and performs in Brazil. Reflective of our lessons and Korman’s career, Urban Tracks features a mix of Brazilian and US jazz repertoire, performed by Korman on piano with bassist Harvie S and drummer Rafael Barata (whose life trajectory — from Rio to NYC — mirrors Korman’s). For those discovering Korman’s music for the first time, on this album I’d especially recommend his covers of Radamés Gnattali (“Cheio de Malícia” and “Canhoto”) and Caetano Veloso (“Trilhos Urbanos”), and his original “Saudade do Paulo,” a tribute to his mentor and collaborator, the late Paulo Moura.

Formed in celebration of Blue Note’s 85th anniversary, the new supergroup Out Of/Into — Matt Brewer (bass), Gerald Clayton (piano & musical direction), Joel Ross (vibraphone), Kendrick Scott (drums), and Immanuel Wilkins (alto saxophone) — has released its first recording, which will prove to be an instant classic. The group’s name derives from the “tradition of innovation” that has always characterized [Black American music, Great Black Music, #BAM…], a spirit that the Blue Note label has attempted to foster in its 8+ decades and has successfully captured on many of its recordings. (For those wondering why I didn’t write “has always characterized jazz,” see the first few chapters of Herman Gray’s Cultural Moves.) Following up last month’s epic, archival release of Live at Slug’s (headlined by Joe Henderson and McCoy Tyner) with Motion I certainly makes a definitive case for Blue Note’s continued excellence in this regard. To borrow a phrase from Gray, both individually and collectively the members of Out Of/Into exemplify the very best of “the expansive possibilities in jazz in terms of its movement, innovation, and openness.”

Funded by the non-profit Giant Step Arts and recorded live at Ornithology, an intimate performance space and listening room in Bushwick (Brooklyn), trumpeter Jason Palmer’s The Cross Over features a stellar ensemble (tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, bassist Larry Grenadier, and drummer Marcus Gilmore) performing nine of Palmer’s original compositions. The magic, of course, lies in what the band manifests from those tunes, though: each track clocks in at over 10 minutes, suggesting that Palmer wants listeners to take their time with this record. On my first visit to Ornithology this past Summer I was struck by how intently the entire audience was listening…how attuned they were to every musical gesture. Of course, because The Cross Over was a live performance, that intense audience engagement is audible on this recording, too, and will reward that type of engaged attention again and again.

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Holiday releases to check out …! …! …!

JD Allen, A Garland of Holiday Songs (Savant), released November 22nd

• Allen released six holiday songs as digital singles for Savant Records, compiled under this title. I can’t find the album available for streaming or purchase as a whole, but that shouldn’t deter you from checking all six out. Allen’s signature warm sound — supported by a solid rhythm section and excellent engineering — and inspired improvisatory moments interspersed amid reverent treatments of these classic melodies make for very satisfying listening.

Dylan Jack Quartet, Winter Panes (Creative Nation), released November 15th

• On the album most likely to transcend the “holiday music” niche, Boston-based drummer and educator Jack leads a quartet through a set of thoughtfully arranged and artfully performed compositions drawn from multiple seasonal traditions.

Romero Lubambo & Pamela Driggs, Christmastime in Rio (Sunnyside), released November 8th

• The Brazilian master guitarist dips into the well of holiday music with lead vocals by Pamela Driggs and solid support from guest artists Vitor Gonçalves (accordion), Joe Locke (vibraphone), and Peter Martin (piano).

Donald Vega Trio, All is Merry and Bright (Imagery), released October 4th

• A subdued and finessed piano trio record that offers equal shares of contemplative, nostalgic, festive renditions of Christmas carols, Vega’s trio record is perfectly suited for close listening during those fleeting, quieter moments over the holidays.

Matt Wilson’s Christmas Tree-O, Tree Jazz: The Shape of Christmas to Come (Palmetto), released on October 25th

• My favorite of the bunch. The Tree-O manages to draw out unexpected musicality from these well-worn tunes that will entertain and engage listeners with a combination of imagination, irreverence, and artistry.