Hundred-word Reviews for April 2025: Jazz

A quick look at five new(ish) jazz releases worthy of your attention.

Pony Boy All-star Big Band – This is Now
Big band jazz enjoyed its heyday many decades ago. The idea that it would endure likely would have surprised those into it at the time. But here we are, and thank goodness. This is Now shows that there’s plenty of life left in the form. The live set is fresh and exciting, tuneful in a mainstream way not always true of jazz, and played with verve, skill and excitement. Original tunes and classic coexist comfortably in this spirited outing. Sixteen ace players and a respectful live studio audience in the Pacific Northwest adds up to a winning set of music.

Visions Jazz Ensemble – Across the Field
Subtitled College Fight Songs Reimagined, on paper this release looks like a deeply idiosyncratic project. Would anyone really want to hear sports-themed fight songs outside of a football game? That’s a fair question. After hearing this album, the answer would seem to be yes. Admittedly, tunes like “Tiger Rag” have long existed outside the framework of sports. And by and large these fight songs are in fact catchy, memorable tunes. So a high-concept release such as Across the Field actually works. Some tunes (“Rocky Top,” for example) are rendered in subtle ways that downplay their fightsong-ness, but it’s solid stuff.

Jae Sinnett – The Blur the Lines Project
This could’ve been interesting: Take some of rock’s most enduring compositions, and reimagine them in a jazz context. Drummer Jae Sinnett and his band tackle songs from Rush, Edgar Winter, Steppenwolf, Rare Earth, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. (In each of those cases, I’m betting that most rock fans could correctly guess which tunes he’s chosen). If we’re honest, the instrumental arrangements lean much more in a rock direction than toward jazz. Drop the vocals, add some tenor sax, and that’s about it. So while it’s an enjoyable listen, the lines aren’t blurred all that much. Ultimately less than essential.

Samuel Hällkvist – Song for Mimi
Fusion often gets a bad rap. And with legitimate reason: among its other achievments, it gave rise to the dreaded smooth jazz – you know: the kind of music over which you could voice, “Coming up: Your local forecast!” But let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. Song for Mimi is thrilling, innovative and energetic jazz fusion. Synths and electric violin spar enliven arrangements that are already rock-solid (but not rock). Late-period Pink Floyd bassist Guy Pratt is on hand for several tracks. The music is nicely varied, exploring a range of sonic and emotional textures. Solid stuff.

Mitch Towne – Refuge
I’m always – or nearly always – up for some tasty organ trio jazz. Nebraskans Mitch Towne wails on the organ, ably assisted by guitarist Tetsuya Nishiyama and drummer Jeffery Johnson. Seven tracks, all but one composed by Towne, showcase the trio’s nimble and simpatico approach to music. The group chugs along at a frenetic pace on “Wolverine,” swinging on the title track and heading for the cocktail bar on “Better Now Than Never at All.” When the three dig in for the understated “Ode to Kenny,” it works just as well as do the high energy outings. Enjoyable start to finish.