Middle Name John has announced the release of his new EP is it the bills?, following on from 2024’s LP Obviously Confidential. Across five tracks, the musician, lyricist, activist and producer continues where he left off, blending incisive lyrics with punchy guitars, live drums and restless electronic touches. is it the bills? is rooted in everyday pressure and anxiety, capturing a feeling of being “overwhelmed, overworked, overexposed, and never over”, which Middle Name John turns into something urgent, relatable and playful. The EP features collaborations from Snorkel’s Frank Byng, who drums on every track, and also Nix Bakx, Alessandro La Barbera and Max Mella.
is it the bills? drops on February 24th through Slowfoot Records and ahead of it Middle Name John has shared the opening track ‘Walking Checklist’. Take a listen below.
Back in October, we welcomed the news of Momoko Gill‘s debut solo album with excitement. Recognized as one of the most exciting talents in contemporary jazz and electronic music today, the London based drummer, composer, producer, songwriter, and vocalist counts numerous incredible projects and collaborations under her belt, most recently a collaborative album with Matthew Herbert. Ahead of the release of Momoko, and following two sublime singles, ‘No Others’ and When Palestine Is Free’, Gill is giving us more reasons to be excited for this release. She has let loose a third gorgeous and compelling single from the album, ‘Heavy’, a track dedicated to her friend Matt Gordon (AKA Pie Eye Collective). She comments:
“Once I finished the song, every time I played it I felt Matt’s presence and always had tears welling up in my eyes. The consistency of that actually surprised me. I didn’t know it when I was writing it but this song was always for Matt. Maybe he was writing it with me. It allows me to feel both my grief in losing him and a deep gratitude for the times we shared together.”
A versatile and adventurous saxophonist, composer, and producer, with a staggering technical ability, Ben Wendel is one of the most exciting voices in contemporary jazz. Two-time Grammy nominee and co-founder of Kneebody, he has performed and recorded with artists such as Tigran Hamasyan, Bill Frisell, Terence Blanchard, Moonchild, Louis Cole, Daedelus, Snoop Dogg and Prince, to name but a few. Wendel has earned numerous awards and accolades from prestigious institutions, and his work also spans various scores for film, television and animated shorts. Born in Vancouver, Canada, raised in Los Angeles, CA and now based in Brooklyn, NY, Wendel’s diverse background is reflected in his music, blending a dizzying array of genres, including jazz, classical, chamber, post-rock, pop and electronic experimentation.
Continuing his path of inventiveness and adventure, Wendel has unveiled BaRcoDe, a visionary electroacoustic album for saxophone and mallets. To bring BaRcoDe to life, Wendel assembled the finest cast of vibraphonists and percussionists – Joel Ross, Simon Moullier, Patricia Brennan, and Juan Diego Villalobos. As the press release describes, the forthcoming album “embodies Wendel’s restless drive to explore sound as architecture – elastic, collaborative, and boldly futuristic.”
The abundance of riches that is BaRcoDe will see the light of day on March 13th through Edition Records and ahead of it, Wendel has shared the lead single ‘Mimo’, which is named after the Czech word for “outside”. “It can mean ‘outside’ literally, or it can mean metaphorically — to be outside of something,” Wendel explains. “I thought it was a nice word for this piece that shifts through identities and goes in and out of different meters.”
Striking and sumptuous, ‘Mimo’ comes with an accompanying live video, with videography by Nick Hughes, and you can watch it below.
New music from incredibly talented improvisational singer, avant-garde composer and bestselling author Tanya Tagaq is always wonderful news, and we could not be more excited to know that she has a new album on the way. Entitled Saputjiji (Sa-put-yee-yee), which means designated protector, the album was produced by Sumach (Gonjasufi) and longtime drummer and collaborator Jean Martin, and it also features contributions from Jeffrey Ziegler (cello), Kevin Hearn (keys/synths), Fucked Up’s Damian Abraham (vocals), Patrick O’Reilly (electric guitar), and Celina Kalluk (vocals).
Tagaq has long used her voice to portray and protest environmental and human rights violations and abuse and Saputjiji is no different. Described as “a potent counter-strike against billionaires, genocide, abuse and colonial systems”, on the upcoming album Tagaq “aim[s] straight at the jugular of the military-industrial-capitalist-tech powers of the times.”
We’ll have to wait until March 6th for Saputjiji to be out through Six Shooter but we can already hear the powerful and purposeful first single, ‘Foxtrot’, featuring vocals by Damian Abraham. Take a listen now.
2026 is shaping up very nicely with wonderful releases around the corner, all the more so with today’s new album announcement from celebrated and prodigious multi-reed player Shabaka (Hutchings). He is returning with Of The Earth, a collection of twelve tracks entirely written, produced, performed and mixed by himself. Of The Earth marks Shabaka’s return to the saxophone, following a year and a half long hiatus, which saw him turn to numerous flutes instead. It also marks his first foray into electronics and production, and he raps on the album. “I’ve never rapped before but was actually inspired by André 3000’s courage in exploring new dimensions with fearlessness and sincerity”, Shabaka says. “I decided to find my voice on this album”.
Speaking about what ignited his desire to create the album, he comments:
“D’angelo’s Brown Sugar was the first CD I bought and it sparked a lasting curiosity about the emotional possibilities allowed by the self produced and performed album. This record is my celebration of freedom in creative self expression. Before the pandemic I could only play the clarinet and saxophone and knew nothing about music production (or how to play the flute), so this has been a journey of learning and a reflection on the music that’s been created as a result.”
Of The Earth is set for release on March 6th through his new imprint Shabaka Records and ahead of it Shabaka has let loose two magnificent singles, ‘A Future Untold’ and ‘Marwa The Mountain’. Listen to both below.
There’s wonderful news from Fabiano do Nascimento, who only last November released Cavejaz, one of our Album Picks of 2025. The staggeringly talented guitarist, composer, and producer is bestowing us with another treat, this time in the shape of a collaborative album with a sixteen piece orchestra led by trombonist and arranger Vittor Santos. Entitled Vila, the album takes its name from the small courtyard in Rio de Janeiro where do Nascimento grew up. Recorded between Rio de Janeiro and Los Angeles, the upcoming album reflects his Brazilian roots and his connection to wider jazz and experimental worlds. With his gently expressive guitar placed at the centre of the orchestra, the music on Vila unfolds with warmth and intimacy.
Vila will see the light of day on February 27th through Far Out Recordings and ahead of it Fabiano do Nascimento & Vittor Santos Orchestra have shared ‘Spring Theme’. Utterly gorgeous and engrossing, ‘Spring Theme’ serves as a sublime introduction to the album. Listen to it below.
