A quiet and relaxed mood, a touch of sophistication, variety — and, of course, some lively surprises — define the soundtrack of this year’s dystopian summer. Let’s exorcise its demons with good music: still out there, yet harder and harder to discover, lost in the noise of endless content.
Here you’ll find 32 tracks of the May/June harvest, a handpicked selection that whispers of human presence, care, and taste in an age where those things are fading fast. Soon, even this kind of curation may go extinct, just like old cassette tapes. Enjoy listening!
The playlist is available for streaming on the platforms below:
If you want to look into what you are listening to,
start your search from the following:
Rebecca Vasmant – Who We Are, Becoming (New Soil)
Neo-soul, spiritual, Glasgow
Track: Becoming
Links: Bandcamp, Merchbar
Rebecca Vasmant (dj-prd, voc), Emilie Boyd (voc), Nadya Albertsson (voc), Amanda Whiting (hrp), Harry Weir (sax), Graham Costello (dr), GOkU (fl), Repeat Beat Poet (sp.w)
Gabriel Grossi – Plural (Whirlwind)
Brazilian jazz
Track: Onde Nascem as Ondas (ft. Ed Motta)
Link: Bandcamp
Gabriel Grossi (harm), Eduardo Farias (p, f.rh), André Vasconcellos (b), Xande Figueiredo (dr). Guests: Jacob Collier, Seamus Blake, Omar Sosa, Ed Motta, Anat Cohen, Leila Pinheiro, Hermeto Pascoal, …
Milena Casado – Reflection Of Another Self (Candid)
New jazz, modern jazz, Spain
Tracks: Unconditional Love, Circles
Link: Bandcamp
Feat: Milena Casado (tr, flg, comp), Lex Korten (p), Kanoa Mendenhall (b), Jongkuk Kim (dr). Guests: Brandee Younger, Nicole Mitchell, Kris Davis, Meshell Ndegeocello, Terri Lyne Carrington
Roxana Amed – Todos los Fuegos (Sony Music Latin)
Vocal jazz, Latin, pop/rock, Argentina
Track: Vida siempre
Link: AllMusic
Roxana Amed (voc), Leo Genovese (p), Tim Lefebvre (el.b), Kenny Wollesen (dr), Mark Small (sax, cl), Joseph Monticello (fl)
Manuel Valera – Rise Again, Vol. 2 (Mavo Records)
Latin jazz, NY
Track: The Journey
Link: Product Page
NEW CUBAN EXPRESS: Manuel Valera (p), Alex Norris (tr, flg), Jimmy Macbride (dr), – John Ellis (ts), Hamish Smith (b), Samuel Torres (perc) | Felipe Lamoglia (ts), Boris Kozlov (el.b), Mauricio Herrera (perc)
Joshua Watkins – Redemption (Ascension Records)
Fusion jazz, Michigan
Track: Reality
Link: Fusicology
Joshua Watkins (dr), Ascension
Champian Fulton, Klas Lindquist – At Home (Turtle Bay Records)
Vocal jazz, swing, NY
Track: The Very Thought of You
Link: Bandcamp
Champian Fulton (voc, p), Klas Lindquist (cl, ts)
Bevan Manson – When The Cup Is Lifted (Outside in Music)
Modern jazz, symphonic, Los Angeles
Track: Stepchild
Link: Bandcamp
Bevan Manson (p), Hollywood Studio Symphony/Jeff Schindler (cond), Ed Neumeister (trb), Phil O’Connor (cl), MB Gordy, Matt Wilson, Brad Dutz (perc)
Jazzanova – In Between Revisited: Jazzanova Live (Sonar Kollektiv)
Nu jazz, electronic, Berlin
Track: Place in Between / Cyclic (Little Big Beat Studio Live Session)
Link: Bandcamp
La Radio Bembé Orquesta – Adaiah (Auge)
Latin, salsa, Latin jazz, Colombia
Track: Jairito
Link: Viberate
Alessandro Altarocca – ASH (AlfaMusic)
Contemporary jazz, post-bop, Italy
Track: Bye-Ya
Link: AdeiDJ
Alessandro Altarocca (p), Stefano Senni | Andrea Taravelli (b), Horacio El Negro Hernandez (dr)
Joshua Redman – Words Fall Short (Blue Note Records)
Post-bop, NY
Track: So It Goes
Link: Blue Note
Joshua Redman (ts, ss), Paul Cornish (p), Philip Norris (b), Nazir Ebo (dr), feat. Melissa Aldana (ts), Skylar Tang (tp), Gabrielle Cavassa (voc)
Case Kämäräinen – Live at Salojazz 2023 (Eclipse Records)
Contemporary jazz, Finland
Track: Up And Down
Case Kämäräinen (ts), feat. Severi Pyysalo (vbr)
Irving Aday – CUBAN JOY (Cuban Joy Music)
Latin jazz, Cuba
Track: Monk Land
Irving Aday (p) – Butler Knowles – Armando Arce – Brevan Hampden, ..
The Jazztronic Collective – Circuit Symphony (True Note Recordings)
Nu jazz, beats, electronics
Track: Binary Planet
Link: Beatport
Denny Zeitlin – With a Song In My Heart: Exploring The Music of Richard Rodgers (Sunnyside)
Contemporary jazz, post-bop, California
Track: Falling In Love With Love
Link: Bandcamp
Denny Zeitlin (p)
GoGo Penguin – Necessary Fictions (XXIM Records)
Nu jazz, electronics, Manchester
Track: Naga Ghost
Link: UKJazzNews
GoGo Penguin: Chris Illingworth (p), Nick Blacka (b), Jon Scott (dr)
Yaya Bey – do it afraid (drink some wtr)
R&B, hip-hop, Brooklyn, NY
Track: end of the world
Link: Bandcamp
Yaya Bey (voc, comp, prd), feat. BADBADNOTGOOD, Exaktly, Butcher Brown, ..
Varijashree Venugopal – Vari (The Live Sessions) (GroundUP Music)
Indian classical, world-fusion, Bengaluru, India
Track: Kannada – Live
Link: GroundUP
Varijashree Venugopal (voc, fl, comp), feat. Michael League, ..
Randal Clark – Midnight (Randal Clark)
Smooth jazz, fusion
Track: Zaragosa
Link: SmoothJazzDaily
Randal Clark (as, ss), feat. Jeff Lorber, Jimmy Haslip, Russell Ferrante, Mark Lettieri, Michael Thompson, Gary Novak, Joe Vannelli, and more
Tyreek McDole – Open Up Your Senses (Artwork Records)
Contemporary jazz, spiritual jazz, Florida
Track: Won’t You Open Up Your Senses
Link: LydiaLiebman
Tyreek McDole (voc), Dylan Band (ts), Caelan Cardello (p, f.rh), Rodney Whitaker (b), Justin Faulkner (dr). Guests: Kenny Barron (p), Sullivan Fortner (hB3, f.rh), ..
McKinley Dixon – Magic, Alive! (City Slang)
Jazz-rap/hip-hop, Richmond, Virginia
Track: Crooked Stick
Links: Bandcamp, Treblezine
McKinley Dixon (rap)
Felipe Salles – Camera Obscura (Capri Records)
Modern jazz, contemporary classical, Amherst-Massachusetts
Track: Remembrance (For David Liebman)
Links: AllAboutJazz, Amazon
Felipe Salles (ts, ss, fl, cl), Nando Michelin (p), Keala Kaumeheiwa (b), Steve Langone (dr), The Cushman Quartet (strings). Guest: Tatiana Parra (voc)
Kris Defoort – Pianoworks (W.E.R.F. Records)
Avant-garde jazz, contemporary classical, Brussels
Track: VI: Treasure of Emotions (to Keith Jarrett)
Links: Bandcamp
Kris Defoort (comp), Jan Michiels (p) | Cédric Tiberghien (p)
Gerald Clayton – Ones & Twos (Expanded Edition) (Blue Note Records)
Modern jazz, NY
Track: Just Above / Endless Tubes
Link: BlueNote
Gerald Clayton (p), Joel Ross (vbr), Elena Pinderhughes (fl), Marquis Hill (tr), Kendrick Scott (dr), Kassa Overall (prod)
Jultrane – Jultrane Plays John (jazz family)
Mainstream jazz, France
Track: Mr Knight
Link: UKvibe
Jultrane: Julien Ndiaye (ts), Frédéric d’Oelsnitz (p), Gabriel Pierre (b), Mailo Rakotonanahary (dr)
Mumi Pearson – Resolutions (Club del Disco)
Vocal jazz, Argentina
Track: Resolution
Link:
Mumi Pearson (voc), Hernán Cassibba, Martín Freiberg, Leandro García de la Maza, ..
Alexandre Herer – Bombay Experience (Onze Heures Onze)
Jazz-rap/hip-hop, Carnatic, Paris
Track: Ocean Takes Care of Each Wave
Link: Bandcamp, OnzeHeuresOnze
Alexandre Herer (f.rh, synth), Manmeet Kaur (lyr., voc), B.C. Manjunath (Mridangam, Konnakol), Gaël Petrina (el.b), Pierre Mangeard (dr), Denis Guivarc’h (as)
Izumi Kimura – Seven Dream (jazz family)
Avant-garde/free jazz, contemporary classical, Warsaw
Track: Dream Op. 4
Link: Bandcamp
Izumi Kimura (p), Lina Andonovska (fl), Dominique Pifarély (vl)
Anita Donndorff – Thirsty Soul (Fresh Sound New Talent)
Vocal jazz, Buenos Aires/NY
Track: Charade
Link: FreshSound
Anita Donndorff (voc), Sergio Wagner (tp), Juan Canosa (trb), Guido Baucia (ts), Ramiro Penovi, Peter Bernstein (g), Dante Picca (p), Paul Sikivie (b, arr), Felipe Arce (b), Eloy Michelini (dr), Carolina Cohen (perc), Sol Liebeskind (vcl)
Pasquale Grasso – Solo Be-Bop! (Masterworks, Sony Music Entertainment)
Mainstream jazz
Track: Salt Peanuts
Link: DLmedia
Pasquale Grasso (g)
M O R E N E W R E L E A S E S
————
VOCALISTS
- Kandace Springs – Lady in Satin (Outside in Music)
- Kurt Elling, Charlie Hunter, SuperBlue – SuperBlue: Guilty Pleasures Vol.2
- Lucia – Lucía (La Reserve)
- Camila Meza – Portal
Ft. Shai Maestro, Gretchen Parlato, Becca Stevens, .. - Marina Pacowski – New Jazz Standards, Vol. 7 – The Music of Carl Saunders (Summit)
Ft. Roy McCurdy, Larry Koonse, Scott Whitfield, John Clayton, .. - Dena DeRose – Mellow Tones (HighNote)
Ft. Matt Wilson, .. - The Harvard Krokodiloes – A Dime, A Dozen
- Dee Dee Bridgewater & Bill Charlap – Elemental (Mack Avenue)
- Nicole Zuraitis – siren songs volume 2 (La Reserve)
- Seth MacFarlane – Lush Life: The Lost Sinatra Arrangements (Verve)
TRUMPETERS
- Brandon Woody – For The Love Of It All (Blue Note)
- The Modern Jazz Trio, Tim Hagans – Peaceful (AMM)
- Charlie Porter – Portland Sketches
- Peter Evans, Petter Eldh – Jazz Fest
Ft. Joel Ross, Immanuel Wilkins, Dave Liebman, .. - Scandinavian Art Ensemble, Tomasz Stanko – The Copenhagen Sessions Vol. 1 (April)
- Paolo Fresu – Nidi di Note
- Theo Croker – Dream Manifest
- Alex Sipiagin – Reverberations (Criss Cross)
Ft. Will Vinson, John Escreet, Makar Novikov, Donald Edwards, Aubrey Johnson - Fabrizio Bosso, Alberto Marsico, Alessandro Minetto – Welcome Back (Warner)
- Etienne Charles – GULLAH ROOTS
SAXOPHONISTS, CLARINETISTS, FLUTISTS
- Jasper Blom Quartet, Metropole Orkest – Metropolarity (Whirlwind)
- Marshall Allen’s Ghost Horizons – Live in Philadelphia
- Paquito D’Rivera & Madrid-New York Connection Band – La Fleur de Cayenne (Sunnyside)
- Chris Cheek – Keepers of the Eastern Door
Ft. Bill Frisell, Tony Scherr, Rudy Royston - James Brandon Lewis Quartet – Abstraction Is Deliverance (Intakt)
Ft. Aruán Ortiz, Brad Jones, Chad Taylor - Marty Ehrlich Trio Exaltation – This Time (Sunnyside)
- Daniele Germani – Hymn to Departure (at Rudy Van Gelder)
Ft. Leo Genovese, Jeff Williams, .. - Gregory Tardy – Abide in Love
- Nicole Glover – Memories, Dreams, Reflections (Savant)
- Jane Ira Bloom – Songs In Space
Ft. Mark Helias, Bobby Previte, .. - Ivo Perelman, Matthew Shipp String Trio – Armageddon Flower (Tao Forms)
Ft. Mat Maneri, William Parker - Jung-Jae Kim – Shamanism (Relative Pitch)
TROBONISTS, TUBISTS
- Michael Dease – City Life: Music of Gregg Hill (Origin)
Ft. Linda May Han Oh, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Nicole Glover, .. - Conny Bauer, Kalle Kalima- 13 Kuukautta
GUITARISTS
- Ayman Fanous, Joe Morris – Zuhour
- Joe Morris & Elliott Sharp – Realism (ESP)
- Ballaké Sissoko, Vincent Segal, Emile Parisien, Vincent Peirani – Sou Kora
- Rez Abbasi – Sound Remains (Whirlwind)
Ft. Bill Ware, Stephan Crump, Eric McPherson, Hasan Bakr - Kurt Rosenwinkel & Jean-Paul Brodbeck – The Brahms Project
Ft. Lukas Traxel, Jorge Rossy - Mary Halvorson – About Ghosts (Nonesuch)
Ft. Patricia Brennan (vbr), Nick Dunston (b), Tomas Fujiwara (dr), Jacob Garchik (trb), Adam O’Farrill (tr), Immanuel Wilkins (as), Brian Settles (ts)
PIANISTS, KEYBOARDISTS
- Frank Kimbrough – The Call (Sunnyside)
- Shai Maestro – Solo: Miniatures & Tales (Naive)
- George Colligan, Linda May Han Oh, Jack DeJohnette – Live At The Jazz Standard (Whirlwind)
- Marilyn Crispell, Thommy Andersson, Michala Østergaard-Nielsen – The Cave
- Alexander Hawkins – Song Unconditional (Intakt)
- Ben Sidran – Are We There Yet
Ft. Rick Margitza, .. - Charles Chen – Building Characters (Cellar Live)
Ft. Randy Brecker, Bob Sheppard, Lawrence Feldman, Mike Richmond, Adam Nussbaum - Chris McCarthy, Takuya Kuroda & Sam Minaie – Add a Zero (Fresh Sound New Talent)
- Danny Grissett – Travelogue (Savant)
Ft. Vicente Archer, Bill Stewart - Chris Gall – Impressionists Improvised
- Armanda Desidery – Incanti E Disincanti
- Tony Bonfils, Lete Christian, Philippe Walter – Objet Céleste
- Laurent Coulondre, Christelle Raquillet – Shifting Lights
- Brian Charette – Working out with Big G (Steeplechase)
Ft. George Coleman, Paul Bollenback, George Coleman Jr. - Michael Wollny, Iiro Rantala, Grégory Privat, Leszek Możdżer – Jazz at Berlin Philharmonic XVI: Piano Night II (ACT)
- Fred Hersch, Drew Gress, Joey Baron – The Surrounding Green (ECM)
- Matthew Shipp – The Cosmic Piano
- Alfred Yun – voice and phenomenon
- Eric Scott Reed – Out Late (Smoke Sessions)
Ft. Nicholas Payton, Eric Alexander, Peter Washington, Joe Farnsworth - Hiromi’s Sonicwonder – Out There (Telark)
Ft. Adam O’Farrill - Felix Hauptmann, Kirke Karja – Underwater Consciousness (Galileo)
BASSISTS
- Ben Williams – Between Church & State
Ft. Kamasi Washington, Chief Adjuah, Sasha Berliner, Keyon Harrold, .. - Massimo Biolcati – Kintsugi
Ft. Lionel Loueke, Aaron Parks, Kendrick Scott - Stéphane Kerecki & Vincent Segal – Ponticello
- Yelsy Heredia – Cachao Vive: El Alma del Contrabajo
- Alan Broadbent – Threads of Time (Savant)
Ft. Sam Dillon, Scot Wendhold, .. - Jasper Høiby – Fellow Creatures: We Must Fight (Edition)
Ft. Alex Hitchcock, ..
DRUMMERS, PERCUSSIONISTS
- Neal Smith – Live at Smalls (Smalls LIVE)
Ft. Steve Wilson, Eric Alexander, Mulgrew Miller, Mark Whitfield, Dezron Douglas - Wolfgang Haffner – Life Rhythm (Live) [ACT]
Ft. Nils Landgren, Bill Evans, .. - Pedrito Martinez – Ilusión Óptica (GroundUP)
- Dan Weiss – Unclassified Affections (Pi)
Ft. Peter Evans, Patricia Brennan, Miles Okazaki - Ches Smith – Clone Row
Ft. Mary Halvorson, .. - Vladimir Kostadinovic – Iris (Criss Cross)
Ft. Ben Wendel, Alex Sipiagin, Joe Locke, Geoffrey Keezer, Matt Brewer, Chris Potter - Justo Almario & Alex Acuna – Tolú Bongó De Van Gogh
- Terri Lyne Carrington & Christie Dashiell – We Insist 2025! (Candid)
VIBRAFONISTS
- Behn Gillece – Pivot Point (Posi-Tone)
Ft. Boris Kozlov, Rudy Royston, .. - Tony Miceli – Nico’s Dream (SteepleChase)
Ft. Paul Bollenback, ..
ACCORDEONISTS, HARMONICISTS, ..
- Gabriel Grossi – Plural (Whirlwind)
Ft. Seamus Blake, Omar Sosa, Ed Motta, Anat Cohen, Leila Pinheiro, Hermeto Pascoal, .. - Daniel Binelli & Sergio Vainikoff – Impromptus Buenos Aires (Club del Disco)
HARPISTS
- Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda & Antonio Sánchez – BEATrio
- Amanda Whiting – Can You See Me Now?
- Arpe Diem Jazz – Time 4 Loving
- Brandee Younger – Gadabout Season (Impulse!)
Ft. Shabaka, ..
VIOLISTS, VIOLONISTS, CELLISTS
BIG BANDS, ORCHESTRAS, ENSEMBLES
- Pierre Dørge & New Jungle Orchestra – Jazzhus Montmartre (SteppleChase)
- Perico Sambeat & Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos – Boreal
- Zurich Jazz Orchestra, Thomas Gansch, Ed Partyka – Neat Little Songs (Mons)
- Deborah Silver, Count Basie Orchestra – Basie Rocks!
Ft. Arturo Sandoval, Kurt Elling, John Clayton, Trombone Shorty, Bill Frisell, George Coleman, Wycliffe Gordon, .. - NDR Bigband, Kari Heinilä, Kalle Kalima – Pulp Friction
- Jameszoo, Asko Schönberg – Music for 17 Musicians (Brainfeeder)
- Janne Mark & Aarhus Jazz Orchestra – Delta
- Alex Paxton – Delicious
- Silent Explosion Orchestra, Kevin Naßhan – Paintings of an Exhibition
- Ryan Truesdell, Gil Evans Project – Shades of Sound (Live at Jazz Standard vol.2)
- Millennium Jazz Orchestra, Mark Nightingale, Joan Reinders – Concertos
- Nordkraft Big Band, Remy Le Boeuf, Danielle Wertz – Silent Course Gate (Gateway)
- Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos – OJM #0 (Reedição)
- Jean Loup Longnon Big Band – ISTANBOUNCE
- Mark Masters Ensemble, Billy Harper – Dance, Eternal Spirits, Dance! (Capri)
- Mark Masters Ensemble, Billy Harper – Sam Rivers 100 (Capri)
- Big band RTS, Eric Van Lier – Tribute to Peter Herbolzheimer (Live)
GROUPS
- Atlantic Jazz Collective, Norma Winstone, Joe LaBarbera – Seascape
- Snowpoet – Heartstrings (Edition)
- Irreversible Entanglements – Irreversible Entanglements (IA11 Edition) [International Anthem]
- CODE Quartet – CODE Red (Justin Time)
Ft. Lex French, Christine Jensen, Adrian Vedady, Jim Doxas - Cosmic Ear – TRACES (We Jazz)
Ft. Mats Gustafsson, .. - Khouri-White Collective – Parallel Play
- Late Night Poems, Eskaubei – Rise & Bloom (U Jazz Me)
- Azymuth – Marca Passo
- Gaia Wilmer & Ra Kalam Bob Moses – Dancing With Elephants (Sunnyside)
Ft. Yulia Musayelyan, Yi Jeon, George Garzone, Neta Raanan, Leo Genovese - John Zorn – Fantasma (Tzadik)
Ft. Ches Smith, .. - Majid Bekkas, Nguyên Lê, Hamid Drake – Jazz at Berlin Philharmonic XVII: Gnawa World Blues (ACT)
- Vilnius JJAZZ Ensemble – Odd Numbers
- Esthesis Quartet, Bill Frisell – Sound & Fury (Sunnyside)
- Tymon Tymański Yasstet – C’Monk
BEATS, DJs & PRODUCERS, GROOVES & MOODS, SOUNDTRACKS ..
- Alune Wade – New African Orleans (enja yellowbird)
- Lucia Cadotsch, Wanja Slavin & LIUN + The Science Fiction Band – Does It Make You Love Your Life?
- Phi-Psonics – Expanding To One (Gondwana)
- Nubiyan Twist – NT Soundsystem (Strut)
- Mark Guiliana – questions (volume one) [Edition]
- Resavoir & Matt Gold – Horizon (International Anthem)
- Joe Armon-Jones – All The Quiet (Part II)
- Hector Plimmer – Infinity Mirrors
- Titus Ross – Forward
- The Heavyweights Brass Band – Knockout
- Ed Calle – Mamblue en Antigua
- Diddy Sweg – The Octopi Will Occupy
- Eddie Palmieri – A Contraluz
- Robert Glasper – Let Go (Loma Vista)
- Jazzrausch Bigband & Bergson Artists – Live at Kleine Olympiahalle
- Leroy Pridgen IV – Nefertiti’s Dream
- Don Glori – Paper Can’t Wrap Fire
- De-Phazz – Luck You!
- nova.sol – Cornerstone