James Judson

Songs Of My Dreams

Self-Released, 2026

8/10

Listen to Songs Of My Dreams

This debut from the vocalist James Judson brings a wealth of guests to the 13 songs that touch on all the hallmarks of jazz that we enjoy.

“Is There A Chance” starts with a lively spirit, where Judson’s bright voice soars alongside Gary Matsumoto’s agile keys and plenty of animated horns, and “The Shadow Of Your Smile” follows with intimate strings and Charles Ruggiero’s soft drums amid the elegant singing.

Further along, “Kiss Me” offers a romantic mood via the gentle keys and emotive singing, while “Holding On” benefits from Charles Glenn’s bass and Anders Mouridsen’s guitar that makes for a breezy and melodic album highlight.

“Walking A Sidewalk” and “On And On” exit the listen. The former enlists Dan Lutz’s bass and Max Haymer’s piano that suit Judson’s colorful pipes, and the latter is a vulnerable ballad which welcomes Steve Cotter’s dreamy guitar that complements Judson’s cozy singing.

Judson wrote 11 of the songs, and though he’s been singing since a child, he took a 30 year break from music before making this album, which is quite surprising cause it’s fleshed out like a seasoned vet that’s versed in the golden age of Big Band jazz.

Travels well with: Dave Slonaker Big Band- Shifting Paradigms; Dave Wilson Quartet- When Even Goes Fast

Atlas Maior

Palindromlar

Dead Red Queen, 2025

8/10

Listen to Palindromlar

The Austin jazz experimentalists Atlas Maior return with plenty of worldly flavor across these 10 creative tracks.

“Neroli Afterlight” opens with Josh Peters’ meticulous oud in a bare climate that builds into a dizzying, avant-garde setting, and “Café Solo” follows with Gray Parsons’ crisp drums amid Joshua Thomson’s rich alto sax and plenty of grooves.

The halfway point showcases Josh Flowers’ meticulous double bass plucking via “Belleza Monocromátia”, while “Las Conchas” leads with ambience before the thumping drums and frisky sax enters.

“a whole other side of me” and “The Sky Moved” exits the listen. The former is a stylish and improvised version of jazz that benefits from the oud acrobatics, and the latter blends the hazy sax around colorful drumming.

A record where every tune brings new ideas, Atlas Maior explore Middle Eastern, Latin American and western nods with unparalleled attention to detail in both minimal and busy textures.

Travels well with: Atlas Maior- Hadal; Dario Acosta Teich- Tierra Infinita

Amanda B. Perry

List Of Lovers

Self-Released, 2025

9/10

Listen to List Of Lovers

The Minnesota singer-songwriter Amanda B. Perry impressed us with her 2022 album, and this effort continues her pop and Americana formula that’s powerful and dramatic.

“I Can’t” opens the listen with Adam Daniel’s bright keys that support Perry’s impressive range and soaring pipes with much grace, and “Morning” follows with Joe Peterson’s lively keys and Ian Combs’ bright bass amid the colorful singing.

Landing in the middle, “Re Find Me” welcomes David Smith’s emotive piano and an ambient backdrop alongside Perry’s adaptable pipes, while “And So It Goes” has David Feily handling banjo, mandolin and guitar in a more rootsy vision.

The title track arrives late and makes great use of Peterson’s well timed harmonica and Tarek Abdelqader’s fluid drums that complement the soulful delivery, and “My Old Heart” utilizes Julia Floberg’s intimate cello that aligns with Perry’s heartfelt storytelling and mesmerizing voice.

An effort that surrounds romance, love and the contrast of right versus wrong in relationships, Perry’s performance is again engaging, relatable and very much endemic to the human experience.

Travels well with: Amanda B. Perry- My Time; Sarah Morris- Say Yes

Agnes Uncaged

Cyanotype

Self-Released, 2025

9/10

Listen to Cyanotype

Previously known as Creeping Charlie, but now called Agnes Uncaged, this Minneapolis outfit brings plenty of cinematic qualities to their brand of guitar focused indie rock.

“Paperdoll” opens with plenty of fuzz and Cole Benson’s mesmerizing guitar amid Julia Eubanks’ smooth and inviting voice that unfolds with post-punk nods, and “Capricorn” follows with Jack Malone’s agile drumming that suits the angular melodies and punchy climate.

“Charlie” arrives in the middle and is strong on ambience that recruits acoustic guitar and strings alongside Eubanks’ delicate pipes, while “Boy Song” offers a crunchy, grungy bout of thumping ‘90s rock.

Closer to the end, “Sinkhole” benefits much from Esmé Eubanks’ meticulous bass that complements the harmonic singing and scrappy instrumentation, and “Skin” exits with both grit and prettiness weaved into the precise rhythm section and heartfelt vocals.

If you also would prefer less synth and more guitar in your rock, Agnes Uncaged will be a breathe of fresh air, where alt-rock, post-punk, shoegaze and grunge come together with near perfection.

Travels well with: Andra Suchy- Battle Cat; Finick- Weekends In Purgatory

Davey Jones

Ball Cap Blues

Self-Released, 2026

9/10

Listen to Ball Cap Blues

The South Mississippi native Davey Jones knows his way around a blues and southern spirited song, and here we get 9 tracks where he plays all the instruments and explores other genres, too.

“Banks Of The Blues” starts the listen with plenty of timeless blues flavor, where upbeat keys and thumping drums suit Jones’ distinct voice, and “New Groove” follows with an indeed playful groove amid the spirited guitar and funk nods.

“Ain’t No Good For Me” and “Mid Memphis Blues” land in the middle. The former isn’t short on melody and rhythm, while the latter brings some grit to the sing-along that’s immediately memorable.

Closer to the end, “Going Down In Mississippi” uses a meticulous guitar solo to its advantage via the flowing and tuneful climate, and “Woman I Love” exits with a dance floor ready appeal that’s rowdy, frisky and a whole lot of fun.

An authentic album that touches on soul, funk, country and rock’n’roll, Jones’ past playing around the Gulf Coast is evident and appreciated across this top notch blues effort.

Travels well with: Pavlov’s Dog- Wonderlust; James ‘JB” Barnes- My Mississippi Roots

Andra Suchy

Battle Cat

Self-Released, 2025

8/10

Listen to Battle Cat

The multi-instrumentalist Audra Suchy sings songs from the experience of terrible loss and the subsequent rebuilding afterwards, and she’s got some excellent help for these powerful and relatable tracks.

“Boyfriend” opens with Noah Levy’s crisp drums alongside the thick guitars and Suchy’s distinct voice that floats around the sonic landscape, and “Be My Baby” follows with an atmospheric backdrop via the hazy take on the classic tune.

Landing in the middle, “Born To It” makes great use of Jeremy Yivisaker’s thick guitar amid the soaring vocals, while “Broken” offers a heartfelt moment that burns slow and flirts with a country meets shoegaze ambience.

“Don’t Say It’s Over” resides near the end and embraces soulful qualities into the intimate and thumping album highlight that employs Janey Winterbauer’s backing vocals, and “Stone Will Roll” recruits vocal harmonies and a retro flavor that’s charming and memorable.

You can tell a lot of thought and emotion went into these tracks, as Suchy enlists folk, country and Americana gestures around the crunchy moments that sound right at home in today’s indie-rock scene, too.

Travels well with: Kaitlin Cassady- North Star; Sarah Morris- Say Yes

Andy Kozar

Ein Horn

New Focus, 2025

8/10

Listen to Ein Horn

The adventurous artist Andy Kozar fleshes out works for multiple trumpets, where 7 selections each radiate their own distinct approach under the chamber umbrella.

Mauricio Kagel’s “Fanfanfaren” opens with 12 quick segments that showcases 4 trumpets layered with playfulness and unpredictable ideas, and Eve Beglarian’s “Ein Horn” follows with flugelhorn and electronics interacting with a sonic appeal that’s mysterious and droning.

Harrison Bertwistle’s “Placid Mobile” lands in the middle and enlists 36 trumpets for the highly technical and cinematic presence, while "Possibly Brahms”, by Elizabeth Hoffman, pairs the rich trumpet with chilling electronics that makes this the album’s best.

Lei Liang’s “Lake” lands near the end and is strong on ambience via the 2 soft and atmospheric trumpets, and “Fons Et Origo” exits with 7 trumpets flowing together with bright textures in the Eric Richards selection.

An extremely creative outing that illustrates the many dimensions of his instrument, Kozar’s layered, powerful and minimal versus busy execution is quite engaging.

Travels well with: Eric Moe- WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 5 YEARS; Ensemble Dal Niente- portrait RE / Flux / Pacific Time

The Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective

Cortadito

JGB, 2025

8/10

Listen to Cortadito

The guitarist Jose Guzman leads his ensemble, The Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective, through 7 rhythmic tunes across this 3rd album.

“Orchard Downs” opens the festivities with Victor Garica’s animated trumpet alongside the playful percussion, and “Holande Pa Uste” follows with Guzman’s spirited guitar and Brian Star’s radiant sax making an impression.

Halfway through, “El Reloj” trims the pace back with an intimate mood that benefits from the hazy wind and brass, while “Witches Dance” offers a lively and soulful bout thanks to Andrey Goncalvez’s frisky bass.

“El Volcan” exits and allows for Ben Carrasquillo’s well timed trombone to complement the flowing melodies, cultured interaction and worldly flavor of the album’s best.

Other players include Javier Quintana (congas and barril), Victor Gonzalez (bongos and bell), Michael Rodriguez (timbales), Jose Natal (barril), Enrique Chavez (percussion) and Connor Frederick (trombone), who help flesh out an exciting, global affair that touches on bebop, jazz, classical and rock.

Travels well with: Naseem Alatrash- Bright Colors On A Dark Canvas; Bijan Taghavi- Cactus Sessions

Buddy And Julie Miller

Breakdown On 20th Ave. South

New West, 2019

8/10

Listen to Breakdown On 20th Ave. South

On their first album together in a decade, Buddy and Julie Miller, who are married, share a chemistry you might expect after 40 years of marriage, though with such strong, timeless talent from both, it’s also a unique formula where the lines of Americana, country and folk are blurred.

The title track starts the album with vocal harmonies and a warm, lifting setting and multifaceted approach where blues and folk are in attendance, and “Feast Of The Dead” follows with Julie’s inimitable vocals in a percussively strong and more bare setting that’s dark spirited.

Further along, “Unused Heart” brings gentle guitars to Julie’s emotive and sweet singing, and “Till The Stardust Comes Apart” offers a duet that resides near balladry with soft keys complementing the mood.

Near the end, “Secret” has Buddy taking the lead on a country influenced moment, and the dusty anthem “War Child” is easily one of the album’s best. “Storm Of Kisses” ends the listen with a gently plucked banjo against the pair’s melodic vocals on a tune about Julie’s late brother.

While Buddy’s been plenty busy in the last decade doing session work and touring, Julie has been plagued with health problems. It’s only fitting, then, that Julie takes the lead on more than half of the album, and actually penned the entire record.

Let’s hope it isn’t another decade before these two record again, and while it’s hard to call this a comeback album from people who live in the same house, it certainly is a great reminder of how fantastic Miller is when it’s plural.

Travels well with: John Hiatt- The Eclipse Sessions; Steve Earle- Guy