New Music From Ralph Alessi, Columbia Icefield, Flavio Zanuttini And More

This playlist brings together a blend of contemporary jazz, avant-garde improvisations, and expansive orchestral textures from across the globe. Seamlessly shifting between intimate duos, driving quintets, and the rich, layered dynamics of modern big bands, the collection celebrates both the precision of meticulous composition and the raw freedom of sonic exploration. From hushed, atmospheric soundscapes and deeply personal improvisations to vibrant dialogues, these tracks showcase a diverse spectrum of visionary musicians pushing the boundaries of their craft. It is an immersive journey designed for deep listening, where tradition meets innovation and every piece tells its own compelling, wordless story.

AUDIO

PLAYLIST

1. Ralph Alessi “A Sun That Never Sets” from A Sun That Never Sets (ECM Records) 00:00

2. Columbia Icefield “Howard Beach” from A Silence Open (Out Of Your Head Records) 06:40

3. Flavio Zanuttini “Introito” from Requiem For Democracy (Aut Records) 18:34

4. Giovanni Nardiello “A.O.E.” from Perspectives (Aut Records) 24:42

5. Miguel Zenón and Barcelona Art Orchestra “Xiuxiueix - Esglai” from Expressions (Miel Music) 36:29

6. Brad Goode Quintet featuring Ernie Watts “Half Moon” from Live Your Dream - Live at North Street Cabaret (Origin Records) 52:11

7. Graziano Gatti Quadri & Massimo Betti Nest Duo “L’è stacc ol vent” from A Whisper Of Roots (Aut Records) 1:03:20

8. Cipher “Lean In” from Lean In (Smeik) 1:11:10

9. Darren Pickering Small Worlds “Taylor Time” from Three (Rattle Records) 1:16:12

10. Nils Berg & Norrbotten Big Band “Hunden” from Paid To Cry (Hoob Records) 1:24:36

11. Pritesh Walia & Henry Godfrey Jazz Orchestra “Hopetown” from Journey To Nowhere (Self Released) 1:30:58

12. Tom Challenger & Evan Parker “May Spring Last A Lifetime (Excerpt) from May Spring Last A Lifetime (False Walls) 1:43:56

NOTES

1. On A Sun That Never Sets, Ralph Alessi expands the quartet configuration with a fifth player for a set of eleven new compositions that elaborate on the trumpeter’s intricate writing with deep thought and a fresh sense of adventure. The last time Alessi operated with a quintet was alongside saxophonist Ravi Coltrane in his This Against That ensemble, captured on 2019’s acclaimed Imaginary Friends, among several other recordings from that outfit. However instead of a saxophonist, this time the trumpeter’s brother Joseph Alessi comes into the fold and fortifies an already state-of-the-art group with inspired trombone lines in frequently electrifying interplay with Ralph. Pianist Matt Mitchell, John Hébert on double bass and Ches Smith on drums and vibraphone round out a band that navigates Alessi’s syncopated themes like a playground, finding new modes of expression for every turn.

2. The profound final album from trumpeter Nate Wooley’s avant-garde jazz quartet. Serving as a heavy-hearted double memorial, the record initially took shape as an emotional response to the sudden passing of Wooley’s close friend and mentor, the cornetist Ron Miles, drawing heavily on Miles’ compositions and folk sensibilities. Tragically, the album’s emotional weight compounded when the group’s legendary pedal steel guitarist, Susan Alcorn, passed away just as recording was being finalised. Alongside guitarist Ava Mendoza and drummer Ryan Sawyer, the ensemble balances fragility and raw, improvisational power, using space and texture to explore bereavement not as an abstraction, but as a tangible, unfolding process.

3. Requiem for Democracy is an avant-garde composition and performance piece by Italian trumpeter and synthesist Flavio Zanuttini. Framed around the traditional structural sections of a mass for the dead the project refashions the classical requiem into a sharp, politically charged statement on the frailty and erosion of modern democratic systems. Musically, Zanuttini blends jazz, historical avant-garde practices, and spatial acoustics with an uncompromising experimental edge. Flavio Zanuttini: trumpet, gong, modular synthesizer, Miljan Minic: clarinet, Andrea Liani: french horn, Marco D’Orlando: drums, and Giustina Selvelli: text composition.

4. Giovanni Nardiello is an Italian drummer and composer active in contemporary jazz and improvised music. His work centres on small‑group interaction, structurally open writing, and rhythmic development. He leads the trio project Perspectives with Joseph Nowell and Stefano Zambon, and appears regularly in Brussels and northern Italy scenes through club residencies, collaborative ensembles and workshop activity. His material draws on rock, modern jazz language and free‑improv practice, with an emphasis on collective shaping of form. Noemi Fiorucci guests on vocals on four of the tracks from this album.

5. From a large-scale work exploring the many dimensions of human expression through the dialogue between soloist and ensemble. Structured in four movements, it reflects contrasting emotional states — ranging from silence and whispering to song, lament and outcry. Each movement has been composed by one of the orchestra’s artistic directors — Néstor Giménez, Lluc Casares, Joan Vidal and Lluís Vidal — forming a collective work that embodies the ensemble’s collaborative identity. Conceived specifically for Zenón’s distinctive voice on the alto saxophone, the piece places the soloist in constant interaction with the orchestra, moving fluidly between lyrical intimacy and moments of heightened intensity. The music blends improvisation, contemporary jazz language and chamber-like textures, creating a sonic landscape that is both structured and open.

6. A powerful showcase for Goode’s veteran-stocked quintet as well as the soloing chops and writing skills of each of its members. Watts and Goode have been performing together frequently for over 15 years. Audiences have been dazzled by their instrumental dynamism, improvisational risk-taking and rapport. Of Goode, Watts says, “Brad is a very unique trumpet player. People don’t realize what he’s doing on the trumpet. He hears stuff on the trumpet that nobody hears. I played with Freddie Hubbard, Doc Severinsen, Clark Terry and all these other trumpeters, but I’ve never heard anybody who can play the trumpet like this guy.”

   In describing Watts, Goode remarks, “Ernie is one of the most inspiring people I’ve ever known. His intensity, drive and passion have kept him growing, developing and expanding his musical powers into his 80’s. I practice doubly hard when I know we’re going to be playing together, just to keep up with him!”

   Also featured are Canadian pianist Adrean Farrugia and veteran bass and drum team Jay Anderson and Adam Nussbaum. This rhythm section performs in a free-flowing and energetic way that fits the front-line players to a tee.

7. Cornet, guitar and electronics are combined to create an excellent duo presentation which melds jazz and rock forms. Graziano Gatti Quadri is an Italian avant-garde cornetist, composer, and ensemble leader active in the European jazz and contemporary improvised music scene. Massimo Betti is an Italian jazz and acoustic guitarist whose musical career spans performance, collaboration, and theatrical sound design. The duo’s recorded output captures a minimal, sparse instrumental dialogue that often interfaces with external artistic mediums, such as live multi-sensory gallery performances featuring visual arts and sculpture.

8. Cipher is an Oslo-based modern jazz quartet formed by Erlend Kongtorp (sax), Martin Nodeland (guitar), Andreas Svabø (bass) and Emil Norman (drums), all active on the Nordic jazz scene, with individual credits including collaborations and releases alongside artists such as Will Vinson and Nduduzo Makhathini.

   Opening their debut album, “Lean In” is a triplet-driven tune with swagger, built around a strong melodic theme and a deep, swinging groove, creating a sense of constant forward motion. Combining high-energy ensemble interplay with virtuosic soloing, this track is a great introduction of what’s to come.

9. A driving, acoustic highlight from *Three* (April 2025), the third album by Christchurch-based pianist Darren Pickering and his quartet, Small Worlds, released on New Zealand’s Rattle Records. While much of the album leans into cinematic, ambient electronic textures and modular synthesizers, this particular track pivots into straight-ahead acoustic territory, showcasing the band swinging with jazzy abandon. The piece relies heavily on high-energy group interplay, culminating in dynamic “trading fours” between drummer Jono Blackie and the rest of the ensemble—including guitarist Heather Webb and double bassist Pete Fleming—to deliver a powerful, forward-moving performance. Pickering has recently been nominated in the New Zealand Jazz Awards.

10. Paid To Cry is the fruit of an exciting year-long collaboration between Berg and the Grammy-nominated Norrbotten Big Band. The music moves between the grand and the intimate, holding grief and celebration simultaneously. The album was the outcome of Berg's tenure as their composer-in-residence. He developed a compositional language for translating the textures of emotion into the vocabulary of a large ensemble. The eight-track album features Berg playing his usual tenor saxophone and bass clarinet plus the electro-mechanical Mellotron synthesizer. Each track represents a tribute to people and places he holds dear. “Hunden” is dedicated to a four-legged companion on a long night walk.

11. A collaborative project featuring the Henry Godfrey Jazz Orchestra performing the big band compositions and arrangements of Pritesh Walia. While the orchestra previously featured Walia as a standout soloist this upcoming self-released album places his specific compositional voice, intricate modern jazz harmonies, and guitar playing directly at the centre of the large ensemble’s expansive sound.

12. The first duo release from improvising tenor saxophonists Tom Challenger and Evan Parker. The album emerged after years of informal practice sessions; then, following two live performances, the duo recorded this session at Arco Barco in Ramsgate. The album is Evan Parker’s fifth appearance on the False Walls label and is due out in August. The album comprises one 53 minute piece which I have taken an excerpt from.

    

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