February 2023 brought another remarkably diverse set of new jazz releases, moving freely between contemporary jazz, free improvisation, experimental music, and more intimate forms of musical exploration.

For this February 2023 jazz selection, we return to the records that caught our attention and, most importantly, made us want to listen again. From established voices to lesser-known discoveries, these albums stood out from the month’s many releases for their originality, character, and ability to create a world of their own.

Here is our selection of some of the best and most interesting jazz albums released in February 2023.

Jazz February 2023 – New Records Selection:

• Aki Takase – Carmen Rhapsody (BMC)
• Xenofox – The Garden Was Empty (Audio Semantics)
• James Brandon Lewis – Eye Of I (Anti-)
• Lao Dan – Region, Music, and Practice Vol​​​.​​​1 (Old Heaven Books)
• Joëlle Léandre – Zurich Concert (live) (Intakt)
• Julia Strzalek, Cornelia Nilsson – Scenery Somewhere (Frim)
• The Necks – Travel (Northern Spy)

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This is Aki Takase’s own vision of Carmen, seen as a rhapsody, in collaboration with mezzo-soprano opera singer Mayumi Nakamura, saxophonist Daniel Erdmann, and cellist Vincent Courtois. They developed it during their residency at the Budapest Music Center and performed it live on August 18, 2022, at the Opus Jazz Club.

“Carmen, one of the most popular operas ever, focuses on a strong and proud woman ruled by her own law. On her new album, iconic jazz pianist Aki Takase takes up this convention-breaker figure, labeling her interpretation of Carmen as a rhapsody. As a seemingly loose sequence of lightly floating, dance-like musical thoughts, which are based on the themes of Carmen by Bizet, not bound to any form and thus verging on anarchy.”
–BMC Records

Aki Takase: piano, harpsichord; Mayumi Nakamura: mezzo-soprano; Vincent Courtois: cello; Daniel Erdmann: tenor and soprano saxophones
Released February 3, 2023

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If you remember and were touched by Faust’s Concerts Vol 1 & 2 (1994), with their unique industrial sounds framed as sonic events, then you will love The Garden Was Empty. The sound is similarly unique, but instead of building on short motives and repetition, Olaf Rupp and Rudi Fischerlehner explore the endless possibilities of free improvisation. Rudi Fischerlehner even pulls off cymbal scrapes!

The Garden Was Empty is as raw as it is original. Try it and please let us know what you think in the comments!

Olaf Rupp: electric guitar; Rudi Fischerlehner: drums, percussion
Released February 3, 2023

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This music showcases modern American jazz in all its beauty and greatness. For those who loved the amazing Jesus Wagon—one of the best, if not the best, releases of 2021—you will find many bridges that connect to Eye of I, such as the melancholic beauty and majestic delicateness naturally embedded in James Brandon Lewis’ playing … but there is more!

Discover the full review of Eye of I.

James Brandon Lewis: tenor saxophone; Chris Hoffman: cello, pedals; Max Jaffe: drums, sensory percussion
Released February 3, 2023

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This is a very surprising but interesting release by Lao Dan featuring a lot of flutes and mouth harps, but also some effects—particularly on the last track (listen below), which is an improvisational piece, in which the serene Chinese atmosphere is turned upside down to become a mechanical, electronic, unformed ballet. It is as distressing as it is fascinating.

Lao Dan: flutes, effects; Mamer: sherter, mouth harp, percussion; Xalhar: dombra, mouth harp
Released February 5, 2023

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It certainly takes all the stoicism of the Swiss—whom we envy for all the anthological performances held in their country—to cordially applaud such a performance, but it’s an excellent choice for a recording, as any other place would certainly have seen the audience faint or go into endless standing ovations!

Read the full review of Zurich Concert (live)

Joëlle Léandre: bass
Released February 17, 2023

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After only a few spins, this album seems to have all the qualities needed, in both form and substance, to become a beloved album.

Its form: two artists on a young label with only five releases so far, performing live improvisation in the intimate Kapellet (The Chapel), in Stockholm, on a CD with only 100 pressings.

Its substance: surprisingly good music. Surprisingly not because we did not know about the artists–trying to list all jazz releases of 2022 really humbled us–but because of the enjoyable equilibrium they manage to maintain throughout the nearly 30-minute-long track. This is a beautiful balance that somehow makes complex music uncomplicated, chaotic melodious, and avant-garde grounded

This duet explores all these facets at once, in what seems like an out-of-time moment, where paths are patiently drawn to potentially fade away in a blink of an eye, unfolding something more. This something more is certainly the pleasure of an instant in which these two artists are assuredly connected with each other, as well as with the atmosphere and the audience. Without that, the outcome would not have been this serene.

This will be a beloved album. It will be played regularly over time by those who own it, for no other reason than it is sincerely and simply enjoyable.

And if you still doubt, let’s hear what Alexander Hawkins had to say about Scenery Somewhere:

“The sounds of peace, patience, poise, and indeed, the sounds of life.”
–Alexander Hawkins, Oxford, October 2022, liner notes

Yes, this could be one of the beloved albums in your collection.

FRIM (The Association for Free Improvised Music) is a musician-driven association that was founded in 1976 to create a platform for free improvised music in Sweden and to promote the ongoing discussion about improvised music as an art form. Since 2017, FRIM organize concerts and festivals at various venues in town.

Julia Strzalek: alto saxophone; Cornelia Nilsson: drums
Released February 24, 2023

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The Necks are an Australian band. Travel is their 19th studio album. In this latest release, the band improvises through four long tracks of 20 minutes each, where jazz becomes a minimalist, ambient, static discovery. They are hypnotic, intelligent, and relaxing.

“Listen to how Lloyd Swanton’s double bass is played with an alluring firmness that’s rounded out by Chris Abrahams’ organ flourishes. The only sound that erupts from this homogeneous space is Tony Buck’s occasional strike of a cymbal bell; its similarity to that of a blacksmith’s hammer is a reminder of The Necks’ endlessly irresistible and impossibly tight improvisations.”
–Joshua Minsoo Kim, NPR Music

Chris Abrahams: piano, Hammond organ; Tony Buck: drums, percussion; Lloyd Swanton: bass
Released February 24, 2023

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Playlist

Listen to these tracks on our Spotify playlist.

February 2023 Jazz Selection

As always, this selection isn’t intended to cover every jazz album released during the month. It is a listening guide: a collection of records that caught our attention, surprised us, or simply made us want to return to them.

Continue exploring our monthly jazz selections and discover our picks for the Best Jazz Albums 2023.

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