Ben Wendel announces new album, BaRcoDe; shares lead single + video

16 January 2026

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.

Tanya Tagaq set to release new album, Saputjiji, in March

14 January 2026

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.

Shabaka announces Of The Earth LP; shares two new singles

14 January 2026

Photo: Joseph Ouechen

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.


Fabiano do Nascimento & Vittor Santos Orchestra announce collaborative album, Vila

10 January 2026

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.

Joe Harvey-Whyte & Geir Sundstøl preview upcoming album, Langeleik, with new single ‘Tana’

09 January 2026

Photo: Roberto Johnson

January 30th will see the release of Langeleik, the collaborative album from London-based pedal-steel player Joe Harvey-Whyte and multi-instrumentalist Geir Sundstøl, who’s one of Norway’s most esteemed and beloved guitarists. Set for release on January 30 through Hubro, the record brings together two musicians who share a fascination with the pedal steel, but approach it from different places and working habits. Harvey-Whyte and Sundstøl met years ago through a shared curiosity for each other’s work and eventually in August 2024 Harvey-Whyte travelled to Oslo. What was supposed to be “five days to do something with two pedal-steel guitars”, turned into a full-length record. “We decided almost nothing in advance,” Harvey-Whyte says. “We just started playing.”

This open-ended approach became central to the sound of the album. Most of the music was written in the studio, built from improvisation, close listening, and a shared interest in texture and movement. For Sundstøl, the speed of the process was a contrast to his usual way of working. “Joe works spontaneously. I usually tinker with tiny detail for days,” he says. “The two different work forms are equally good, I guess. You gain some, and you loose some by spending months on a song.”

Across Langeleik, the pedal steel is joined by synths, field recordings, drum machines and other analogue instruments, with many of the pieces named after rivers and places. “When I listen to the album I hear the ocean and rivers,” Harvey-Whyte says. “It’s not an album of instant gratification — it’s an album to do nothing with. A companion for reverie.”

Today, the pair have released the new single ‘Tana’, a serene and slow-unfolding piece named after one of Norway’s northernmost rivers. Speaking about it, Sundstøl comments:

“Joe and I are both inspired by North Indian classical music. Tana is our take on the raga: It starts out with the alap, a form of improvisation that introduces the melodic framework, and then develops into a raga inspired track. A raga would normally stay in one key, grounded by a drone. Here, we are instead moving between two chords: D and E minor. Both instruments are treated with the vocoder, usually associated with electronic music, creating an unusual soundscape, all grounded by Dalen’s and Engen’s delicate drumming.”

‘Tana’ follows their earlier single ‘The Tyburn’, which if you haven’t yet, it’s also worth spending time with. Here’s both.

Asher Gamedze offers new glimpse into A Semblance: Of Return with ‘War’

08 January 2026

At the tail end of 2025, Asher Gamedze announced the release of his forthcoming album A Semblance: Of Return, sharing then the staggering and sublime first single ‘Following Up’ as an introduction to the project’s collective vision and his ongoing “practices of assembly”. This week, the visionary and virtuosic drummer, composer and activist unveiled a second offering from the album with the astounding and compelling ‘War’. Of the track, Gamedze says:

“War (of maneuver): The national question’s irresolution and the misapplication of position’s analytic.”

Listen to ‘War’ below and grab the album when it drops on February 27th through Northern Spy Records.