Immanuel Wilkins Quartet: Live At The Village Vanguard Announced Across Three Volumes

GRAMMY-nominated alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins has announced his first-ever live album, Immanuel Wilkins Quartet: Live At The Village Vanguard, a searing three-volume document capturing his acclaimed quartet in full flight at the legendary Village Vanguard. Volume 1 arrives March 20 on LP, CD, and digital formats, followed by the digital release of Volume 2 on April 17 and Volume 3 on May 15.

Recorded in the storied basement club in New York City, the album documents Wilkins’ working quartet—Micah Thomas on piano, Ryoma Takenaga on bass, and Kweku Sumbry on drums—navigating expansive interpretations of Wilkins’ original compositions in a room synonymous with the living history of jazz. With this release, Wilkins adds his name to the lineage of artists who have made definitive statements within these walls, joining a pantheon that includes John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans, Elvin Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, and Dexter Gordon.

The project is introduced with a stirring live performance of “CHARANAM,” the devotional composition by Alice Coltrane originally featured on her 1981 recording Turiya Sings. In Wilkins’ hands, the piece becomes both invocation and declaration—an offering that bridges spiritual jazz lineage and contemporary improvisational urgency.

In the album’s liner notes, scholar and writer Tina M. Campt reflects on the weight and resonance of the venue itself. The Village Vanguard, she writes, “makes you feel the presence of so many performances that are still very much alive in the room.” For Wilkins, the recording becomes a deliberate sono-spatial experiment—an effort to channel and reactivate the accumulated sonic memory embedded in the club’s walls, floorboards, and ceiling. Live At The Village Vanguard, Campt continues, is “a bold endeavor to summon the Vanguard’s sonic history and make it audible,” framing the performance as a practice of improvisational sounding, congregational listening, and devotional ritual.

Across its three volumes, the album presents a sweeping portrait of Wilkins’ compositional and improvisational language. Volume 1 features “WARRIORS,” “COMPOSITION II,” “CHARANAM,” and “ETERNAL,” establishing the quartet’s dynamic range—from meditative lyricism to surging collective momentum. Volume 2 expands the terrain with “THE BIG COUNTRY,” “WAITING PT. 1,” “CITRINE,” “GRACE AND MERCY,” and “GO ‘HEAD GET DOWN,” while Volume 3 concludes the arc with “RING SHOUT,” “COMPOSITION IX,” “DOLLA$,” and “PUT 100 ON THE BLUE CHAIN,” underscoring Wilkins’ ability to fuse structural rigor, spiritual depth, and rhythmic fire.

At the heart of the recording is the chemistry of a band that has grown together through years of performance. Thomas’ harmonic imagination and crystalline touch, Takenaga’s grounded yet elastic bass lines, and Sumbry’s textural, propulsive drumming create a framework that allows Wilkins to soar—probing, testifying, and conversing with the room itself. The result is not merely a live album, but a document of presence: four musicians engaging the moment with intensity and purpose in one of jazz’s most sacred spaces.

With Immanuel Wilkins Quartet: Live At The Village Vanguard, Wilkins stakes a bold claim within a tradition that reveres both history and forward motion. It is a statement of arrival and evolution, honoring the echoes of the past while carving new resonances into the Vanguard’s enduring sonic archive.

Brooklyn Stories: Ayman Fanous Announces 5-CD Boxset via Infrequent Seams

Guitarist and bouzouki player Ayman Fanous announces Brooklyn Stories, a staggering 5xCD boxset (also available digitally) arriving April 24, 2026 via Infrequent Seams. Spanning duos, trios, and quartets with a remarkable cast of improvisers, the collection stands as a monumental document of deep listening, fearless interplay, and transdisciplinary imagination. The first single, “Trio With William Parker, Tatsuya Nakatani – 4,” featuring William Parker and Tatsuya Nakatani, is out now, with pre-orders live on Bandcamp beginning February 24.

Working across jazz, avant-garde, and free improvisation, Fanous positions himself in conversation with the very artists who helped define those languages. For listeners attuned to the expansive spirits of Matthew Shipp, Alice Coltrane, Nate Wooley, Mary Halvorson, Luke Stewart, Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, Cecil Taylor, and Anthony Braxton, Brooklyn Stories will feel less like a debut and more like a revelation long in the making.

Although Fanous has recorded before, he calls this collection “a debut in some regards.” It is his first large-scale statement as a leader, and its ambition is unmistakable. A professional scientist and physician whose research spans schizophrenia, genomics, and psychiatry, Fanous occupies a rare position: an “outsider” to the full-time musician’s circuit, yet deeply embedded in the language and lineage of creative music. One glance at his collaborators dispels any notion of dilettantism. This is serious, hard-earned music made in communion with masters.

The scope of Brooklyn Stories is immense. Across five discs, Fanous engages in a shifting series of constellations: extended trios with Parker and Nakatani; intimate and explosive duos with Joe McPhee; a quartet featuring McPhee, Jason Kao Hwang, and Nakatani; luminous trio and quartet configurations with the late Susan Alcorn; searching dialogues and ensembles with Ned Rothenberg; string-driven trios with Mark Feldman and Thomas Ulrich; and rhythmically charged quartets with Hwang, James Ilgenfritz, and Nakatani. The set closes with a trio alongside pianist Denman Maroney, bringing yet another textural dimension into focus.

The recordings span key moments and spaces: September 20, 2013 at Sonia Vlahcevic Hall, Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia (Disc 1), and May 29–30, 2015 at Firehouse Space in Brooklyn, New York (Discs 2–5). Across these sessions, Fanous moves between classical guitar, electric guitar, and bouzouki, revealing a vocabulary that is at once pitch-centered and open-ended, steeped in flamenco and classical technique yet untethered from orthodoxy.

The liner notes, written by Elliott Sharp, offer both personal recollection and critical framing. Sharp recounts first encountering Fanous in the early 1990s at the Knitting Factory, receiving a cassette that immediately revealed “inventiveness of pitch-based improvising” and “simmering intensity.” Their subsequent studio meeting confirmed it: the depth was real, the technique abundant but never gratuitous. Sharp raises a compelling question that hovers over the entire boxset: how do Fanous’ parallel vocations—scientist, doctor, improviser—feed each other in ways that produce music of such intensity and structural clarity?

Fanous himself traces his roots to acoustic playing, drawing on flamenco and classical approaches alongside flatpicking, with influences ranging from Braxton and Taylor to Webern and Downtown experimentalism. A pivotal mentorship came through his duo with the late Bern Nix, an experience he once described as his true musical education. That lineage—harmolodic openness, clean timbre, structural elasticity—echoes throughout Brooklyn Stories.

One of the revelations of the collection is Fanous’ fluency on bouzouki. While often associated with Greek rembetika and broader Mediterranean traditions, in his hands the instrument becomes a vehicle for cascading modal improvisation—Mixolydian, Aeolian, Phrygian—filtered through a personal, non-microtonal lens. Rapid tremolo passages and rippling textures create sheets of sound that both anchor and destabilize the ensembles, expanding the harmonic field without overwhelming it.

As remixing and mastering engineer for the project, Sharp had the rare vantage point of hearing the music both “globally and granularly,” noting the extraordinary level of sonic empathy at work. What emerges across the five discs is not a guitarist imposing his will on a cast of luminaries, but an artist fully embedded in dialogue—listening, responding, shaping, and surging forward with saturated joy.

The rollout begins February 24 with the announcement and first single release, “Trio With William Parker, Tatsuya Nakatani – 4.” A second single, “Duo with Joe McPhee – 2,” arrives March 10, followed by “Trio With Susan Alcorn, Ned Rothenberg” on April 7. The full 5-CD boxset lands April 24, 2026.

Brooklyn Stories is more than a document of performances; it is a cartography of relationships—between instruments, between improvisers, between disciplines, and between lifetimes of inquiry. In an era of fragmented listening and disposable output, Fanous offers something immersive and demanding: five discs of rigor, vulnerability, and fearless exchange. It is both a culmination and an opening statement.

Bettye Swann – Feel The Feeling, A Lost Chapter From the Atlantic Years, Featuring Five Previously Unreleased Songs

A vital new collection shines fresh light on one of soul music’s most emotive and underappreciated vocalists. Feel The Feeling (S4RLP08) gathers thirteen recordings from Bettye Swann’s tenure at Atlantic Records, including five songs that remained unreleased for decades. The result is both a historical document and a revelation—an intimate portrait of an artist navigating the changing tides of early 1970s soul with grace, grit, and extraordinary vocal depth.

Bettye Swann possessed one of the most emotionally direct voices in the soul canon. Her career, however, was that of a shooting star: it ignited brilliantly, burned with fierce intensity, and then faded with unexpected swiftness. In 1975, after just eleven years in the recording spotlight, she stepped away from the industry, relocated to Las Vegas, and retired the Bettye Swann persona. What remains is a compact but potent body of work that continues to resonate with collectors, DJs, and soul aficionados worldwide.

Born Betty Jean Champion in Louisiana, Swann relocated to Los Angeles as a young woman. Around 1964, she was introduced to Al Scott, owner of Money Records. It was her fourth single for the label, “Make Me Yours,” that propelled her into the national consciousness. One of the defining soul sides of its era, the record’s success led to a contract with Capitol Records in 1968, further cementing her reputation as a formidable interpreter of heartbreak and longing.

By 1972, Swann had signed with Atlantic Records, marking a new chapter in her artistic journey. Her debut Atlantic 45, “Victim Of A Foolish Heart” backed with “Cold Day In Hell,” was recorded at the legendary FAME Studios under the guidance of producers Mickey Buckins and Rick Hall. The single made an immediate impact, reaching #16 on the Billboard chart and signaling a promising new phase in her career. The Muscle Shoals influence lent grit and southern warmth to her delivery, framing her voice against taut rhythms and understated arrangements.

Subsequent releases demonstrated Swann’s gift for bridging genres. Her rendition of Merle Haggard’s “Today I Started Loving You Again” and the tender “Til I Get It Right” leaned into a gentle country-soul sensibility, revealing her remarkable interpretive range. “I’m Not That Easy To Lose” also dates from these fertile sessions, showcasing her ability to balance vulnerability with quiet defiance.

In an effort to broaden her commercial appeal, Atlantic sent Swann to Philadelphia’s renowned Sigma Sound Studios. There, she recorded Phil Hurtt and Tony Bell’s “Kiss My Love Goodbye,” along with “Time To Say Goodbye” and “When The Game Is Played On You.” These sessions embraced the lush textures and sophisticated arrangements associated with the emerging Philly soul sound, placing her voice in a more polished but still emotionally resonant context.

As commercial fortunes shifted, Swann was next paired with Nashville producer Brad Shapiro. The artistic results were stellar, even if not all saw release at the time. Among the treasures finally unveiled on Feel The Feeling are three previously unissued gems: a deeply felt interpretation of The Isley Brothers’ “This Old Heart of Mine,” a definitive take on Maxine Weldon’s “I Want Sunday Back Again,” and the aching “Either You Love Me Or Leave Me.” These recordings underscore Swann’s uncanny ability to inhabit a lyric fully, transforming familiar material into something unmistakably her own.

A duet pairing with Sam Dees, including Barbara Acklin’s “Just As Sure,” was issued as a 45 on the Atlantic-distributed Big Tree Records label, adding yet another dimension to her Atlantic-era output.

Across its thirteen tracks, Feel The Feeling offers a compelling snapshot of an artist in transition—navigating Muscle Shoals grit, Philadelphia sophistication, and Nashville polish while remaining rooted in the emotional truth that defined her work from the beginning. The five originally unreleased songs provide invaluable insight into what might have been, filling in crucial gaps in her discography and reaffirming her status as one of soul’s most expressive vocal stylists.

Now available, Feel The Feeling stands as both tribute and rediscovery: a reminder of a singular voice that, though it burned briefly, illuminated soul music with lasting brilliance.

Shane Sato Announces “Surfliner” With Braxton Cook

Songwriter, drummer, and producer Shane Sato proudly announces the release of “Surfliner,” the third single from his forthcoming album Wavelength. The track, featuring critically acclaimed saxophonist Braxton Cook, arrives February 20, 2026 via Mixto Records and will be available on all streaming platforms.

Blending neo-soul textures with jazz-inflected sophistication, “Surfliner” draws inspiration from the iconic Amtrak route that winds along the Southern California coastline. Written and produced by Sato, the single captures the atmosphere and understated elegance of coastal rail travel, where ocean meets sand in a seamless horizon of motion and light.

At its core, “Surfliner” evokes the quiet luxury of gazing out a train window on a warm summer afternoon. Cook’s warm, breathy saxophone carries both the primary melody and an expressive solo, while his nuanced piano performance deepens the song’s emotional resonance. Soft ambient pads and a groovy yet restrained beat create a gentle forward momentum, mirroring the rhythmic sway of a train gliding along the shore. The arrangement feels spacious yet intimate—an immersive soundscape that invites listeners to slow down and savor the journey.

The track channels a timeless, almost old-world elegance associated with the Surfliner experience: sweeping coastal views, ocean spray lingering in the air, a drink in hand, and the peaceful cadence of travel uninterrupted by urgency. In Sato’s hands, the train becomes more than transportation—it becomes metaphor, a moving meditation on presence and perspective.

“Surfliner” marks the third single in the rollout of Wavelength, Sato’s highly anticipated new album slated for full release in Spring 2026. The project serves as an ode to collaboration, love, and the calming, connective flow of water. With a vibrant palette of warm tones and genre-spanning influences—from jazz to indie to soul—the album highlights a dynamic lineup of collaborators and close creative partners. The single follows the momentum of “Never Let You Go” featuring Oli-J, further building anticipation for the complete collection.

A Japanese-American artist raised in Southern California and now based in Los Angeles, Shane Sato launched his solo project last year with the breakthrough album Until We Meet Again. The release, alongside a series of thoughtful collaborations, earned critical acclaim and surpassed one million streams, establishing Sato as a distinctive voice in contemporary jazz and soul-inflected production.

With “Surfliner,” Sato continues to refine his signature sound—lush yet minimal, nostalgic yet forward-looking—inviting listeners to step aboard for a journey defined not by destination, but by feeling. As Wavelength approaches, the single offers a glimpse into a record shaped by connection, color, and the steady, soothing rhythm of creative flow.

Irreversible Entanglements Announce Future Present Past

Free jazz collective Irreversible Entanglements announces their return with their fifth studio album, Future Present Past, arriving March 27th via Impulse!. The announcement is accompanied by a powerful double single release, “Don’t Lose Your Head” and “Vibrate Higher,” both featuring friend and frequent collaborator MOTHERBOARD. Together, these tracks set the tone for a record that embodies urgency, collective care, and spiritual resistance.

“Don’t lose your head messing with the gods” is the imperative that ignites this new chapter. “Don’t Lose Your Head” unfolds as a rallying cry, grounded in a taut, propulsive arrangement built atop drummer Tcheser Holmes’ agile groove. Vocalist Camae Ayewa and featured guest MOTHERBOARD deliver subdued yet deeply impassioned performances, their voices cutting through the arrangement with clarity and resolve. The track’s disciplined intensity reinforces its message: in times of chaos and imposed disorder, clarity of mind is an act of resistance.

Its counterpart, “Vibrate Higher,” answers in a darker, more brooding register. Originating as a live recording captured before a capacity crowd at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn—on bassist Luke Stewart’s birthday—the piece carries the charged electricity of collective experience. It opens with Keir Neuringer’s atmospheric synth drones, punctuated by Stewart’s expressive bass lines. Gradually, the composition expands into a barrage of percussion and horns, building uneasy density as voices and instruments alike urge the listener to embody the command of its title. At the brink of sonic rupture, Ayewa calls for a “different atmosphere,” and trumpeter Aquiles Navarro responds with dissonant precision, shifting the music as if opening a portal into a hypnotic rhythmic vamp. It is a composed-in-the-moment journey that exemplifies Irreversible Entanglements’ improvisational power—music that doesn’t merely perform but transports.

For Future Present Past, the quintet returned in October 2024 to the legendary Van Gelder Studio, a historic space synonymous with spiritual and avant-garde jazz. There, they recorded most of the album’s main tracks, capturing the immediacy and synergy that define their sound. The record finds the band at the height of its improvisational, compositional, and rhythmic powers, weaving diasporic liberation music into a broader meditation on time and existence: futures brimming with possibility, a present fraught with uncertainty, and a past rich with ancestral wisdom and cautionary memory.

To further develop this expansive vision, additional recording and production unfolded over the next nine months. Producer and engineer Jonathan Schenke collaborated closely with the band in his Brooklyn studio during the summer of 2025, editing and arranging with an ear toward cohesion without sacrificing spontaneity. Andrew Lappin returned to mix the collection, ensuring that the album’s layered intensity remained both immersive and precise. Guests MOTHERBOARD and Helado Negro blend seamlessly into the ensemble’s collective energy, enriching the textural and emotional landscape.

The result is more than an album—it is a call to action. Irreversible Entanglements recognize that no external force will deliver salvation; community, vigilance, and shared responsibility are the only paths forward. The band articulates this ethos in a powerful statement accompanying the record, reflecting on the weight of the present world and the possibility of another that uplifts. They describe themselves as five transforming into billions—billions journeying through existence together, navigating futures of potential, presents filled with anxiety, and pasts that offer both ancestral guidance and warning.

They position this album as “five standing on the shoulders of legions”—honoring healers, alchemists, rebels, and caretakers who have fought and invented new ways of being. In that lineage, Irreversible Entanglements assume their role as messengers, continuing the tradition’s long march toward liberation. “Freedom fighters telling us not to lose our heads amidst imposed chaos,” they write. “It is our duty to vibrate higher, beyond the noise, above the hype, away from the novelty, over the walls, across the borders: to keep going.” In their vision, fight songs are not merely symbolic—they are tools for survival and transcendence.

Future Present Past arrives March 27th via Impulse!, marking another milestone for a collective that has consistently merged avant-garde experimentation with political clarity and communal intention.

Irreversible Entanglements will celebrate the album’s release with a series of live performances, beginning March 26th in Queens, NY at Knockdown Center for a co-release show with Shabaka. They continue with two nights at Solar Myth in Philadelphia on March 27th and 28th, before heading to Europe for appearances at the Torino Jazz Festival in Turin on May 1st, Teatro Massimo in Cagliari on May 2nd, Treibhaus in Innsbruck on May 5th, De Roma in Antwerp on May 6th, and the Jazz à Liège in Liège on May 7th.

With Future Present Past, Irreversible Entanglements once again channel the spirit of collective improvisation into a resonant declaration: amid the turbulence of the now, liberation remains possible if we listen deeply, stand together, and continue to vibrate higher.

COUNTERMEASURE RELEASES GUEST SESSIONS VOL II

Countermeasure is thrilled to announce the release of their fifth studio album, Guest Sessions Vol II, a bold and emotionally resonant recording that reaffirms the group’s place as one of Canada’s most innovative vocal ensembles. Featuring a collection of original compositions influenced by jazz, pop, folk, soul, and contemporary choral traditions, the album pairs Countermeasure’s signature vocal sound with a lineup of powerhouse solo instrumentalists from across the globe. The result is a rich, genre-blurring listening experience filled with catchy hooks, soaring harmonies, virtuosic performances, and unfiltered emotional depth.

Guest Sessions Vol II is a concept album comprised entirely of original works composed by Countermeasure’s Artistic Director, Aaron Jensen. Each track is crafted around a single featured solo instrumentalist who supports and interacts with the ensemble’s twelve voices, creating a distinctive sonic world for every piece. Rather than simply adding instrumental color, each guest artist becomes an integral collaborator, with their musical personality shaping the aesthetic and emotional core of the song. Every composition is tailor-made to complement the guest’s sound, resulting in a dynamic interplay between voice and instrument that feels organic, intimate, and expansive.

The album brings together an extraordinary roster of collaborators, including three multi-GRAMMY Award–winning artists. Bassist Braylon Lacy—known for his work with Erykah Badu and Kirk Franklin—anchors one track with his signature groove and depth. On horn, Dylan Hart, whose credits include John Legend, John Williams, and Barbra Streisand, adds brilliance and cinematic sweep. Drummer Larnell Lewis, celebrated for his work with Snarky Puppy, Yebba, and Mark Ronson, brings rhythmic precision and expressive fire.

International heavyweights further expand the album’s sonic palette. Guitar virtuoso Kaki King, whose collaborations span Timbaland, The Roots, and Dave Grohl, contributes her unmistakable artistry. Keyboardist Clyde Lawrence, co-front person of the celebrated band Lawrence, infuses vibrant energy and soul. Saxophonist Leo P, known for performances with Beyoncé, Too Many Zooz, and at the BBC Proms, delivers electrifying flair. Turkish composer and performer Görkem Şen performs on the yaybahar—his own 14th-century-inspired instrument—bringing an otherworldly resonance heard in scores by Hans Zimmer and Max Richter.

Canadian artists also play a vital role in shaping the album’s character. Harpist Angela Schwarzkopf, recipient of the 2020 JUNO Award for Classical Album of the Year, contributes luminous textures. Flutist Anh Phung, recognized for her work with Twisted Pine, Lydia Persaud, and The Bombadils, brings expressive agility. Fiddler Saskia Tomkins—an All-Britain Champion Irish Fiddler and Celtic consultant on Come From Away—performs on the nyckelharpa, a rare 14th-century Swedish instrument whose haunting tone adds historical depth and texture.

This album follows the success of Countermeasure’s earlier releases, including Guest Sessions (2020), which featured world-renowned musicians such as Randy Brecker, Evelyn Glennie, and Natalie MacMaster, and Orchestral Sessions (2024), recorded with the Burlington New Millennium Orchestra. Together, these projects have established a tradition of collaboration and experimentation that Guest Sessions Vol II proudly continues.

For Aaron Jensen, this record is deeply personal. “This project is a love letter to my bandmates,” he says. “We’ve shared a lot over the past sixteen years of touring, performing, and recording together. Our music has acted as the soundtrack to our lives. We’ve performed at each other’s weddings, baby announcements, and family funerals. Our kids grew up being dragged around the world on tour with us. I composed these songs inspired by our shared experiences. It’s a role I’ve been honoured to hold.” Even the selection of guest artists reflects the passions and histories of the group members themselves—artists who inspired them as teenagers, whose records shaped their musical identities, and whose artistry they have long admired. In this way, the album becomes more than a collection of songs; it is a snapshot of shared history and a celebration of a remarkable musical and social experiment.

Based in Toronto, Countermeasure is a 12-member vocal group that has performed to sold-out theatres across Canada, the United States, Italy, Scotland, Japan, and the United Kingdom. They have recorded with acclaimed artists including Ron Sexsmith, Alan Doyle, Barenaked Ladies, and the Burlington New Millennium Orchestra, and have shared stages with Corey Hart, Alan Frew, The Swingle Singers, and Naturally 7. Their recordings have received recognition from the CARA Awards, the John Lennon Songwriting Competition, and the Independent Music Awards, earning honors for Best Album, Best Song, Best Jazz Song, and Best A Cappella Song. Their original track “Takin’ it Home” was notably covered by the Jazzagals on the Emmy Award–winning television series Schitt's Creek. Countermeasure also provided the soundtrack for the short film Long Road to Freedom, featured at festivals across Canada.

Guest Sessions Vol II was made possible through the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council. With this release, Countermeasure continues to push the boundaries of contemporary vocal music, celebrating collaboration, honoring shared history, and inviting listeners into a world where voice and instrument meet in bold, beautiful conversation.

Lindsey Webster Channels Soul, Strength, and Serenity on Her Most Personal Album Yet, Music In Me

Few artists convey emotional truth as effortlessly as Lindsey Webster. With a voice that is at once grounded, luminous, and unmistakably her own, the Woodstock-raised vocalist continues to carve out a singular lane in contemporary jazz and R&B. Critics have long taken note—PopMatters has praised her consistency and sophistication, while All About Jazz has recognized her ability to honor tradition while pushing it forward. Yet beyond the accolades lies an artist whose greatest strength may be her self-awareness.

“I feel more at ease with myself than ever before,” Webster shares. That confidence permeates both her life and her playlists. Her most-streamed artist is Bob Marley, and her listening habits span an eclectic mix that includes Yo-Yo Ma, Mos Def, Olivia Dean, Aaliyah, Mariah Carey, and Jeff Buckley. That wide-ranging inspiration mirrors her own genre-blending approach—soulful yet refined, intimate yet expansive.

Webster’s calm presence and expressive range have helped her cultivate a loyal global audience. SoulTracks once famously remarked that if Carole King and Sade shared a musical lineage, Webster would be the heir apparent. Notably, she stands as the only vocalist since Sade to reach No. 1 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart, a milestone achieved with her breakout hit “Fool Me Once.” That accomplishment solidified her status as a defining voice in modern jazz.

Her seventh studio album, Music In Me, arriving February 27, 2026, signals both artistic growth and personal renewal. The project reunites her with longtime collaborator and pianist Keith Slattery and features an impressive roster of guest artists. Among them are Grammy-winning R&B powerhouse Stokley and soul icon Anthony Hamilton. Stokley not only joins Webster for a duet but also contributes drums and percussion across the record. The album also welcomes trumpeter Keyon Harrold, guitarist Isaiah Sharkey, and rapper-composer Kev Choice, creating a textured and dynamic sonic landscape.

For the first time in her career, Webster embraces vocal duets—something she had envisioned for years. She describes collaborating with Hamilton and Stokley as both surreal and deeply meaningful, especially given the personal challenges she has navigated in recent years. The album, crafted over a three-year period, reflects patience, intention, and emotional resilience.

Across its 13 tracks, Webster explores themes of love, longing, healing, and hope. The title song sets the tone as a heartfelt tribute to the transformative power of music itself. For Webster, music is more than a profession—it is sanctuary. She speaks openly about how song has been her refuge and steady companion through every chapter of life, shaping her emotional landscape and offering renewal when it was needed most.

Her vocal performances continue to evolve, revealing new layers of nuance and control. While listeners may hear echoes of great stylists such as Mariah Carey, Anita Baker, or Roberta Flack, Webster’s phrasing and tone remain distinctly hers—warm, centered, and emotionally transparent. The album stands as her most introspective body of work yet, balancing technical finesse with heartfelt storytelling.

Before music claimed her full attention, Webster once considered a path in medicine. Choosing instead to pursue her artistic calling, she built a career defined by steady growth and chart success, including acclaimed projects like Back To Your Heart and Reasons. With Music In Me, she enters a new era—one rooted in gratitude, clarity, and creative freedom.

At its heart, Webster’s mission is connection. She believes music has a quiet but profound ability to bring people together, even when unity is not the explicit goal. In a world often divided by differences, she champions curiosity, empathy, and shared joy. It is that spirit—along with her unmistakable voice—that makes Music In Me more than just an album. It is an invitation.

When the music begins, the message is simple: pause, listen deeply, and hold close the blessings that surround you.

Michael Mani Ignites the Airwaves with “Night Shift,” Building on His Billboard-Charting Momentum

Late nights in the studio have long been part of the creative rhythm for GRAMMY®-winning keyboardist and producer Michael Mani. Best known for earning music’s highest honor for his work alongside guitar icons Carlos Santana and Eric Clapton, Mani has spent decades shaping hits behind the scenes. Now, he’s stepping boldly into the spotlight with “Night Shift,” a hard-grooving, genre-blending single that’s climbing the charts and solidifying his status as a contemporary jazz force.

Born from a 2 a.m. burst of inspiration, “Night Shift” captures the electricity of spontaneous creation. What began as a playful piano warm-up quickly transformed into a sleek fusion of hip-hop beats, dynamic piano lines, and the soulful saxophone stylings of Bay Area standout Ashley J. The result is an infectious, urban-tinged contemporary jazz track that pulses with energy and authenticity.

“Night Shift” arrives as the highly anticipated follow-up to Mani’s Mediabase No. 1 single, “Triangles,” the title track from his 15-song collection released via Baja/TSR Records. The album Triangles blends jazz, R&B, and funk while reflecting the deeper symbolism Mani sees in music and life. For him, melody, rhythm, and harmony form the three sides of a creative triangle—an interconnected structure that shapes every composition. That philosophy resonated widely: “Triangles” topped Mediabase, reached No. 2 on Billboard, and ultimately landed as Billboard’s No. 25 single of 2025. The breakthrough success also earned Mani a Smooth Jazz Network nomination for Breakout Artist of the Year.

Four decades into a multifaceted career, Mani’s résumé reads like a blueprint for modern pop and R&B excellence. He discovered and helped develop three-time GRAMMY® winner Tori Kelly and singer-actress Becky G, guiding emerging talent while continuing to refine his own artistry. A classically trained pianist, Mani sharpened his production skills working alongside celebrated producers Narada Michael Walden—known for his work with Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Aretha Franklin—and Walter Afanasieff, whose credits include Kenny G and Mariah Carey.

Mani’s keyboard work has appeared on recordings by an elite roster of artists including Lady Gaga, Al Jarreau, Michael Bolton, New Kids on the Block, Leona Lewis, Regina Belle, Tevin Campbell, Shanice, En Vogue, Siedah Garrett, and Backstreet Boys. Beyond the recording studio, he has composed music for television and film and crafted campaigns for global brands including Honda, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Apple, Taco Bell, and Hallmark.

A Bay Area native now based in Los Angeles, Mani operates his recording and production facility, The JAM, where inspiration often strikes long after midnight. It was there that “Night Shift” took shape. After sketching initial sax lines on synthesizer, Mani sent the track to Ashley J, whose live performance elevated the song’s energy and gave it a vibrant, organic edge. The collaboration embodies Mani’s vision of fusion—urban grooves, soulful jazz harmonies, expressive piano riffs, and soaring sax melodies converging into something both contemporary and timeless.

February marks another prolific chapter for Mani, with two additional singles arriving that he co-wrote and produced: “Magic Island” by Kathy Koskins and “Red, Black and Blue” by Tommy Davidson. Meanwhile, Triangles continues to resonate, featuring guest appearances by guitarist Nils and bassist Tony Saunders. Mani plans to bring the album to the stage this summer, with performances alongside both artists as he translates his chart success into a dynamic live experience.

With “Night Shift,” Michael Mani is not just riding momentum—he’s defining a new creative chapter. Blending decades of elite-level experience with a fearless, modern sensibility, he is carving out his own lane in contemporary jazz, proving that even after a career spent elevating others, his own voice still has new heights to reach.

Grammy Award-Winning Bassist Christian Dillingham Returns with New Trio Album ‘As It Relates To Now’

GRAMMY® Award-winning bassist and composer Christian Dillingham will release As It Relates To Now on May 15, 2026 via Shifting Paradigm Records, available on CD, vinyl, and digital formats. The new trio recording features Dillingham alongside alto saxophonist Greg Ward and drummer Jeremy Cunningham, delivering eight original compositions that traverse groove-driven modern jazz, blues-inflected textures, and open, exploratory interplay. Fans of the Brian Blade Fellowship Band, Julian Lage, Orrin Evans, and Joe Lovano will find much to embrace in the trio’s dynamic and emotionally resonant sound.

A central force in Chicago’s creative music community, Dillingham has cultivated a multifaceted career bridging jazz and classical traditions. A regular presence across the city’s vibrant scene, he has performed and recorded with distinguished artists including Sean Jones, Jeff "Tain" Watts, John Legend, Peter Bernstein, Kevin Mahogany, Dee Alexander, Bobby Broom, and Mike Reed. He frequently appears at iconic venues such as Green Mill, Jazz Showcase, Hungry Brain, Constellation Chicago, Andy's Jazz Club, and the Chicago Jazz Festival. Dillingham appears on more than twenty jazz recordings and is a tenured member of the Chicago Sinfonietta, while also performing with ensembles including Present Music, Fulcrum Point New Music Project, and Chicago Philharmonic. His previous releases for Greenleaf Music — Cascades (2023) and Halcyon (2024) — firmly established him as a distinctive composer and bandleader, with critics praising the depth and vision of his work.

With As It Relates To Now, Dillingham turns his focus toward the emotional and social atmosphere of the present moment. Reflecting themes of uncertainty, division, and resilience, the album draws strength from the intimacy and elasticity of the trio format, shaped by more than a decade of shared musical history among the three artists. “This music grew out of a period of tension and reflection,” Dillingham explains. “Writing these pieces became a way to process what I was seeing and feeling, transforming that weight into something honest and human.”

The title track opens with a subtle Motown-inspired pulse, setting a grounded yet searching tone. “Obsoletion” confronts generational tension and shifting cultural realities, while “Special Relativity” references Einstein’s theory as a metaphor for fragmented modern perspectives, unfolding through evolving rhythmic and harmonic frameworks. “Behind The Horizon” captures uncertainty through spacious textures and gradual intensification. “Wooden Lawns” pays tribute to Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood, blending lyricism and grit in a meditation on place and community. “If They Knew” reflects on the human consequences of political decisions, building from introspective calm to a powerful collective surge. “Delusional Grandeur” examines power and perception through angular motifs and restless propulsion. The album concludes with “The Divine Current,” a reflective and hopeful meditation suggesting connection, possibility, and shared humanity beneath division.

Across As It Relates To Now, Dillingham, Ward, and Cunningham craft a body of work rooted in lived experience and collective dialogue — music shaped by its time yet grounded in enduring questions of responsibility, resilience, and human connection.

Track Listing

1. As It Relates To Now — 5:12

2. Obsoletion — 5:18

3. Special Relativity — 6:57

4. Behind The Horizon — 3:30

5. Wooden Lawns — 8:01

6. If They Knew — 5:30

7. Delusional Grandeur — 6:12

8. The Divine Current — 4:38

Total Time — 45:24

From the Heart to No. 1: Donald Hayes Turns Passion into a Chart-Topping Jazz Triumph

Creating music from the heart — and connecting with listeners just as deeply — has proven to be a winning formula for contemporary jazz saxophonist Donald Hayes. The lead single from his album Soul Searching, “Longing For You” featuring GRAMMY®-nominated bassist Nathan East, was named Mediabase’s No. 1 Single of the Year, solidifying Hayes as one of the genre’s most compelling voices.

Written and produced by Hayes, “Longing For You” is a lush midtempo R&B/jazz instrumental that showcases his yearning alto saxophone front and center. The track is elevated by East’s probing basslines and the masterful guitar work of Billboard chart-topper Adam Hawley. The single dominated the Billboard Smooth Jazz Airplay chart, holding the No. 1 position for two consecutive weeks — a powerful testament to its emotional resonance and widespread appeal.

“I always write and perform everything heart first. I honestly believe what comes from the heart reaches the heart,” Hayes shared. “‘Longing For You’ is about passion, and I’ve received so many comments about how the song makes people feel. Every time I played it for friends, there was an instant connection. I just never imagined it would become the No. 1 single of the year. Its success tells me it truly reached the hearts of listeners.”

On the track, Hayes intentionally created space for East — whose legendary résumé includes work with Eric Clapton, Daft Punk, and the multi-GRAMMY®-nominated band Fourplay — to shine as a featured soloist. “It was an honor to collaborate with a legend like Nathan East. I wanted him to stand out and leave his signature on the record,” said Hayes, a Memphis native now based in Los Angeles.

Continuing the momentum, Hayes released his follow-up single, “A Funky Attitude,” another self-written and self-produced standout from Soul Searching. Driven by the rubbery basslines of Andrew Gouche, the track radiates confidence and groove. Drummer Jay Williams, pianist Tracy Carter, and guitarist Jonathan Dubose craft a tight rhythmic pocket that allows Hayes’s slinky sax lines to prowl with swagger. “This song is about a woman who walks into a room with pride and confidence,” Hayes explained. “There’s something really funky and cool about that energy.”

Soul Searching is deeply personal and richly collaborative, featuring appearances by Robin Thicke, Brian Culbertson, Russell Gunn, Andrea Lisa, Bobby Sparks of Snarky Puppy, Kirk Fletcher of Fabulous Thunderbirds, Shedrick Mitchell (known for his work with Maxwell), Jonathan Richmond (who has performed with Eric Benet and Boney James), and Hayes’s mentor Derrick Jackson.

Hayes describes the album as “really personal,” explaining that the gap since his 2016 debut, Front Ground, was intentional. “It’s important to live, to experience life, and then pour those experiences into your music. I want listeners to feel everything — my joy, my pain, all of it.”

One of the album’s most emotional moments comes with “Please Don’t Go,” written after the loss of his sister. “I was begging her not to leave me,” Hayes revealed. The following track, “Pressing On,” carries a message of resilience: despite grief and hardship, we must find the courage to keep moving forward and fulfill our purpose.

Beyond his solo career, Hayes has spent twelve years performing alongside Thicke and the past five years touring globally with GRAMMY®-winning bassist Marcus Miller. His résumé spans performances and recordings with R&B royalty including Earth, Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, James Brown, Jamie Foxx, Black Eyed Peas, Chaka Khan, Jill Scott, and Queen Latifah. He has also lent his signature sound to gospel greats such as Yolanda Adams, Kirk Franklin, Kim Burrell, Fred Hammond, John P. Kee, and CeCe Winans.

With Soul Searching, Hayes proves that authenticity is timeless. When music is created from a place of truth and vulnerability, it does more than top charts — it moves people. And in Hayes’s case, it has transformed heartfelt expression into a No. 1 celebration.