Brandee Younger - Gadabout Season

Label: Impulse!, 2025

Personnel - Brandee Younger: harp; Rashaan Carter: bass; Allan Mednard: drums; Shabaka: flute (#2), clarinet (#3); Joel Ross: vibraphone (#3); Makaya McCraven: percussion (#3); Niia (#9); Courtney Bryan: piano (#7); Josh Johnson: saxophone (#10).

Grammy-nominated harpist and composer Brandee Younger is a spiritual colorist who favors a heavenly smooth texture over any form of wild improvisation. Deeply influenced by jazz harp pioneers Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby, Younger also weaves elements of R&B and hip-hop into her music, making Gadabout Season her most personal work to date. Presented in a trio format with select guest appearances, the album notably features Younger playing the harp that once belonged to Alice Coltrane.

“Reckoning”, where a sweeping, hallowed harp resonates with power; “End Means”, featuring Shabaka’s glowing flute over a 10-beat cycle groove anchored by bassist/producer Rashaan Carter and drummer Allan Mednard; and “Discernment”, where an atmospheric psychedelia of sorts gains further dimension through saxophonist Josh Johnson’s well-placed multiphonics—all emerged from sketching and improvising at the close of home sessions.

“Breaking Point” thrives on a gripping bass groove around which the entire piece revolves. It leans into a funkier aesthetic, enhanced by jazzy undertones and some atypically adventurous plucks from the bandleader. The title cut, “Gadabout Season” (a gadabout being a carefree pleasure-seeker constantly in motion), is intended to embody joy, guesting vibraphonist Joel Ross, percussionist Makaya McCraven, and Shabaka on clarinet. Despite its compelling lineup, peculiar pacing, and staccato patterns, the piece didn’t resonate with me as much as “New Pinnacle” or “Surrender”. The former is an R&B-inflected ballad shaped by dulcet melodies and woozy bass wobbles, creating a velvety texture, while the latter—written for pianist Courtney Bryan, who soulfully discourses here—is imbued with divine consciousness and plenty of light.

If “BBL” adopts a funky groove within its modal R&B framework, then “Unswept Corners” leans fully into soul, tempered by Niia’s ethereal vocals. The spacious, spiritual vibe is a constant throughout, giving Younger’s music a peaceful, uplifting, and luminous aura.

Favorite Tracks:
06 - New Pinnacle ► 07 - Surrender ► 09 - Unswept Corners

Tommy Crane - Dance Music For All Occasions

Label: Elastic Recordings, 2024

Personnel - Tommy Crane: drums, composition; Charlotte Greve: alto saxophone; Simon Jermyn: bass; Edwin de Goeij: piano; Sarah Page: harp; Claire Devlin: tenor saxophone (#4); Martin Ditcham: percussion; Miller Maboungou: percussion; Mishka Stein: bass; Aaron Spicer: choir; Sterling Spicer: choir; Jones Spicer: choir.

Currently based in Montreal, drummer and composer Tommy Crane has long been a trusted collaborator for a number of esteemed jazz artists in New York—Aaron Parks, Melissa Aldana, and David Binney among them. In his latest project, Dance Music For All Occasions, Crane leads a core quartet, featuring bassist Simon Jermyn, pianist Edwin de Goeij, and saxophonist Charlotte Greve. Inspired by the smooth jazz and breezy pop/rock of the ‘70s and ‘80s—a sound his drummer father, Nolan Earl Crane, was passionate about—the album melds these influences into a laid-back yet elegantly layered sonic experience, with guest appearances enhancing the mood. 

The opener, “Early 2000’s”, kicks off with a driving rhythmic pulse, its three time feel well marked by the pianist, who designs the chord progression with sheer emotion. Greve harmonize slow-moving lines that soar with sharp focus, while extra percussive layers are entrusted to percussionists Elli Miller Maboungou and Martin Ditcham (Talk Talk, Sade). The musicians work seamlessly within Crane’s vision, and on “Italian Weekend”, they evoke a lush sense of nostalgia. The track begins simply but firmly, driven by an engaging bass groove before drifting into ambient jazz, enriched by ethereal harmonies from a three-boy choir, and having Sarah Page’s harp lending discrete shading.

“DMFAO” delivers pleasant vibes, but lacks the spark to elevate its steady background. “Let’s Try This Again” takes on the feel of a relaxed 4/4 pop/rock tune, with Claire Devlin’s tenor saxophone adding a thin extra layer to the cyclic melody. “Life is So Much Better in the Lounge” shifts into smooth funk and R&B, channeling George Benson, Barry White, and Grover Washington Jr. as the music, pollinated with warm and rich details, brings out Crane's knack for subtle groove.

The short-lived yet beautiful track “A Moment of Clarity Amidst the Fog” is introspective and airy, balancing spacey piano accompaniment, sizzling brushwork, and a carefully sculpted saxophone riff. The album closes with “Amherst Ave”, a standout track that grooves effortlessly in an odd-meter cycle, conjuring the soulful, jazz-infused stylings of Makaya McCraven, Marquis Hill, and Robert Glasper.

Dance Music For All Occasions is a record of amenable tones, avoiding overly complex configurations but relying on superimposed layers to create its dreamscapes. Some tracks, charmingly pleasurable, can get under your skin, while others remain more understated, with only minimal fluctuations in mood.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Early 2000’s ► 06 - A Moment of Clarity Amidst the Fog ► 07 - Amherst Ave

Wolfgang Haffner - Silent World

Label: ACT Records, 2023

Personnel - Wolfgang Haffner: drums; Simon Oslender: piano, keyboards; Mitchel Forman: synth; Nicolas Fiszman (#5,10): bass; Thomas Stieger (#1-4, 6-9, 11): bass; Eythor Gunnarsson: synth, Rhodes; Sebastian Studnitzky: trumpet; Mark Wyand: tenor sax, flute, clarinet; Norbert Nagel: tenor sax, flute, clarinet; Bruno Müller (#1, 10): guitar; Dominic Miller (#5): guitar; Bill Evans: soprano saxophone (#1); Nils Landgren: trombone (#8); Till Brönner (#4): flugelhorn; Alma Naidu: vocals (#1-3 ,8); Rhani Krija (#4, 5): percussion.

German drummer Wolfgang Haffner is a musical pacifist who likes to paint beautiful landscapes in his music. Only one year has elapsed since the release of his last album on the ACT imprint, Dream Band Live in Concert. Apart from vibraphonist Christopher Dell and trumpeter Randy Brecker, all the musicians featured on the latter album play on Silent World: American saxophonist Bill Evans, Swedish trombonist Nils Landgren, keyboardist Simon Oeslender, and bassist Thomas Stieger. Many other guests enrich a body of work where Haffner stands poised to attract more followers.

Taking his own web of musical meaning, the drummer opens with “Here and Now”, establishing an alluring sweep that is simultaneously smoothing and propelling. The piece, which is invigorated by Evans’ soprano saxophone, takes the shape of a whirling ballad when the keyboards become noticeable. The following track, “Silent World”, unfolds softly and gently with a ternary pulse that is more akin to the pop/rock universe. Vocalist Alma Naidu and synth player Mitchel Forman are featured.

No other tune reflects and fuses so many inspirations than “La Casa”, whose attributes are closely identified with artists such as Tomas Stanko, Manu Katché and Mathias Eick. It all begins with a bass pedal and the trumpet amenities of Sebastian Studnitzky. World music influences are detected in the rhythmic flow and melody, but the group moves from a sweet, even sound to something that seems stirred up by electronic music.

With Sting’s guitarist Dominic Miller on board, “Faro” is a serene fusion piece with effective modulation and ample space to breathe. On “The Piece Inside” it’s the super melodicism practiced by the resolute flugelhorn player Till Brönner that stands out, whereas pieces like “Hope” and “Belief” are ambient rides where chill-out jazz adherents will find repose.

Despite the gentle synth washes and meek octave-modulated trumpet, “Life Magic” tries to resist the predominant ambiance with stereo percussive sweeps and a dancing rhythm that borrows from funk and Brazilian music. Haffner gathers well-honed material with a genre-crossing vision, letting things flow naturally rather than force any note or rhythm.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Here and Now ► 03 - La Casa ► 04 - The Peace Inside