Birdwatcher

Gadadu: Outer Song [CD]

Young Mothers: Better If You Let It [Vinyl LP]

Young Mothers: Better If You Let It [CD]

"Color Theory" unfolds as a vibrant, rhythmic canvas-an invitation into a syncopated journey of sound and self. Across eleven tracks, Nicole explores a spectrum of eclectic grooves, lush textures, and memorable melodies that linger long after the last note fades. Recorded live at Brooklyn's renowned Bunker Studios, the album blends dynamic ensemble performances with Nicole's signature solo looping and improvisational flair. The result is a vivid body of work that celebrates artistry, mastery, and, above all, the endless possibilities of color in sound.

You are in a Kitchen Filled with Plants as the Sun Streams Inwards is the debut record from Los Angeles-based experimental jazz collective You, Me, + the Whales Sextet. The group is co-led by brothers Zac Burgenbauch (guitar) and Devin Burgenbauch (bass), and features David Otis (saxophones), Elif Dinçer (harp/electronics), M A Harms (vibraphone/percussion), and Lucas Lenny (drumset). Bringing together American primitive guitar textures with spiritual jazz, open improvisations, field recordings, microtonal drones, and a lot of bells, the ensemble weaves through Alice Coltrane-esque delicacy and frenetic improvisation a la the Cecil Taylor Unit. Otis sweetly floats amidst Lenny's running beats and Devin's rapidity, while Harms and Dinçer move with drips of sound around Zac's yearning John Fahey-inspired folk melodies. The result transports listeners to a textured dream-scape of kinetic energy and beauty.

Sabbag Tyler: Novella [Vinyl LP]

Micah Thomas' fifth album Lucid - featuring alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, trombonist Kalia Vandever, bassist Thomas Morgan, and drummer Lesley Mok - is, in large part, a pursuit of the feeling of balance. The phrases in his playing and writing here are dynamic in motion yet concise - not too long in any direction, just hanging in space perfectly. This album is also an exploration of the feeling of ecosystem and habitat - the idea that things are happening that seem independent and maybe even random, but that also give life to the things that are happening around them and form a unified picture despite the complete autonomy of all the parts. Everyone in this band has an acute awareness of where they are and where everyone else is, and the agility to go wherever they need to go when they need to. The seeming surface independence of the band belies a tight interconnectivity.