Hello and welcome!
We’ve reached the halfway point of the year and it’s been a tremendous year for new releases. I originally had this post drafted as ‘26 Can’t Miss Albums from the First Half of 2026,” but I just couldn’t cull the list down any further. I’m sure there are some fantastic albums out there that I missed, so drop your favorites in the comments section below.
There’s a lot to get through, so I’ll keep it brief.
Below you’ll find some longtime Chaotic Good Jazz favorites, like Work Money Death, Shake Stew, and Hyphen Dash, with new albums from the winter and spring. There’s also a mix of musicians that are new-to-me in 2026, such as Sera Kalo, Yolanda Wisher & The Afroeaters, and Aaron Shaw.
Hope you dig these as much as I do!
Listed in order of release
Buddhism-inspired avant-garde psychedelic spiritual jazz with guest feature by Aquiles Navarro on trumpet.
Groove-driven meditative krautrock meets spiritual jazz.
Belgian electro-acoustic accordion/sax/drum trio of Stan Maris, Werend Van Den Bossche and Tom Peeters.
Experimental spoken word punk jazz, featuring Marius Max (sax), Nick Dunston (bass), Dylan Greene (drums) alongside Kalo on bass & vocals.
Immersive and celestial psychedelic avant-jazz-rock, released via Discus Music.
Chill-inducing spiritual jazz debut featuring Carlos Niño, Dwight Trible, and more. Aaron Shaw was recently the focus of my Artist Spotlight series, check it out below.
Hypnotic spiritual jazz double album celebrating the band’s 10th anniversary.
Timeless spiritual jazz at it’s absolute finest. Featuring the incomparable Tony Burkill on sax and Alice Roberts on harp.
Psychedelic Afro-Latin jazz-rock, released in collaboration with La Tempesta and Black Sweat Records.
Greek modal folk-jazz made by pianist Greg Foat while on a trip through Greece.
Third album of Indo-jazz fusion from the Brussels-based trio, featuring Nathan Daems (sax), Lander Gyselinck (drums), and Marco Bardoscia (bass).
The second album of hardcore punk jazz from JBL and Fugazi alumni, following their eponymous 2024 debut.
also see: James Brandon Lewis, Lutosławski Quartet - These Are Soulful Days (Live at Jazztopad, Wrocław, 2021)
James Brandon Lewis Quartet - Omni
Politically-charged South African free jazz, featuring Gamedze (drums), with Ru Slayen (percussion), Nobuhle Ashanti (keys), Zwide Ndwandwe (bass), and Keegan Steenkamp (trumpet).
Undeniably groovy neo-soul R&B.
Lo Steele is headlining the Montavilla Jazz Festival here in Portland, Oregon on Labor Day Weekend. Check out my festival preview coming later in July.
see also: Charlie Hunter, Corey Fonville, Andrew Randazzo, DJ Harrison - Space Bomb
Improvised avant-garde jazz rock featuring Kit Downes (organ), Mats Gustafsson (saxophone), Veslemøy Narvesen (drums) alongside the double bass-wielding Leirtrø.
Post-bop chamber jazz fusion released via Out Of Your Head Records, featuring Yvonne Rogers (piano), Walter Stinson (double bass) and Russell Holzman (drums) alongside the Brooklyn-based O’Farrill.
Defiant and danceable Afro-Caribbean/Afro-Brazilian rhythms, featuring Moor Mother.
Contemporary and chaotic modern jazz rock fusion recorded in Tokyo, led by veteran Dutch sax player Benjamin Herman.
The psychedelic jazz-funk power trio of Brandon Ross (guitar), Melvin Gibbs (bass) and JT Lewis (drums) are joined by Georgia Anne Muldrow.
Homage to the LA Jazz scene from brothers Aaron (sax/flute) and Lawrence Shaw (bass).
International avant-garde quartet featuring bassist Ruth Goller alongside saxophonist Chris Williams, guitarist Moss Freed with Finlay Panter on drums.
Evocative free improvisations from Italian trio; Alessio dal Checcco (sax), Giulio Cuppari (guitar), and Giosuè Consiglio (drums).
Bitches Brew inspired Norwegian jazz rock, featuring Ståle Storløkken (keys) and Ole Mofjell (drums).
Drum-led boundary-pushing improvised alt-jazz from Philadelphia. Also featuring Simon Martinez (guitar), Tim Watson (guitar), Tone Whitfield (bass), Sanche Ramirez (keys).
Spiritual jazz jams meet ancestral spoken word rhymes, featuring Paul Giess (trumpet) and Mark Anthony Palacio (bass).
see also: Untethered - Phronesis
don’t miss: Paul Giess, Randi Pontoppidan, & Jamaaladeen Tacuma - The Mirage of Ceuta
Independent Ukrainian jazz fusion from Daniel Zubkov [aka Lucas Bird] (keys), Misha Birchenko (drums), and Yevhen Puhachov (guitar, bass) with guest saxophonist Borys Mohylevskyi.
Stanley Elvis Woodward (bass), King David Ike-Elechi (drums), and Ferg Kilsby (trumpet) create more “Geordie Jazz” on this Geordie Greep-produced follow-up to their 2025 self-titled debut.
Groovy Mulatu Astatke-inspired Ethio-Jazz featuring Laura Jurd (trumpet), Will Gregory (sax), Adrian Utley (guitar) and more!
Hypnotic post-bop spiritual jazz released via Braufman’s Valley of Search label, with collaborators Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), Chad Taylor (drums), and Luke Stewart (bass).
Experimental new wave Polish jazz fusion from Michał Wdowikowski, Franciszek Pospieszalski, Matylda Gerber, Maciej Forreiter and Beniamin Łasiewicki.
Mystical and spiritual side project of Roman Norfleet (The Cosmic Tones Research Trio, Be Present Art Group) and Andre Raiah (Okzat-Ozkat, Be Present Art Group).
see also: Roman Norfleet, Be Present Art Group - Unreleased - EP
The Canadian quintet of John Buck (drums), Ethan Cohn (bass), Claire Devlin (sax), Jean-Michel Leblanc (guitar), David Lemyre (guitar), produce psychedelic eco-conscious post-bop.
Leeds, UK-based cinematic 70’s soul-jazz. Featuring Atholl Ransome, George Cooper, Sam Bell, Pat Illingworth and Sam Quintana.
Another Truly Amazing record from ATA, featuring Chip Wickham.
“Low Orbit” is a new all-time favorite.
Under-the-radar Polish jazz fusion featuring Teo Olter (drums), Tymon Bryndal (bass), and Natan Kryszk (sax).
Ambient and experimental “one man” quintet. In addition to writing, performing, and producing the record, Pike plays drums, percussion, synth, piano, organ, and other assorted electronics on the album.
“One of the hottest new groups in all of jazz right now” - Christian McBride
NJU is the Julliard-trained trio of Abdias Armenteros (sax/vocals), Sebastian Rios (bass), and T.J. Reddick (drums).
Whimsical ambient spiritual jazz led by brothers Devin and Zac Burgenbauch. Also featuring Elif Dinçer (harp), M A Harms (vibraphone), David Otis (sax), Lucas Lenny (drums).
The highly anticipated album from the Sydney Australia-based quartet of Jeremy Rose (sax), Nick Garbett (trumpet), Noel Mason (bass), and Alex Masso (drums) is phenomenal!
Gary Bartz joins forces with Jake Long, Ali MacSween, Axel Kaner-Lidstrom, Chelsea Carmichael and more, on this spiritual jazz instant classic.
Utterly infectious improvisations from the quintet of Anna Butterss, Jeremiah Chiu, Josh Johnson, Booker Stardrum, and Gregory Uhlmann.
see also: Jeff Parker - Happy Today
If you missed last week’s Shady Pines Radio broadcast, catch the full Pride edition broadcast on the Mixcloud archive, highlighting musicians from the LBGTQ+ community and some of their most outspoken allies, featuring Tomoki Sanders, Dave Koz, Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Gary Burton, Allison Miller, and Andy Bey as well as music from Red Hot Org and more! Check out the week’s KFFP show recapping some of my favorite releases listed above, and don’t miss
Recently Archived Episodes
6/29 - Freeform Portland Radio | New Music Monday, Best of 2026 (so far)
6/26 - Shady Pines Radio | Pride Month Special
6/19 - Shady Pines Radio | Juneteenth Celebration
…see more
Upcoming Broadcast Schedule
Shady Pines Radio: Friday’s 10am-Noon PT | Freeform Portland: Alt Mondays Noon-2pm PT
7/3 - Shady Pines Radio | The Rhythm of Resistance
7/10 - Shady Pines Radio | PNW Summer Music Festival Special
7/13 - 6/29 - Freeform Portland Radio | New Music Monday
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