September brings us properly back into the season, just in time with our selection (ouf!), and with it comes an impressive flow of new music. Our Jazz September 2026 selection moves from new names—at least for us—to some true legends. Ten albums, each with a strong identity of its own, and plenty of reasons to keep listening as autumn begins.

September 2026 – New Jazz Releases Selection

• Brittany Pitt – Shapeshifter (Lil Soc)
• Tyshawn Sorey, Pat Thomas – Red Sulphur (Otoroku)
• Janel Leppin – The Realist (Out Of Your Head)
• Myra Melford’s Fire And Water Quintet – Sure Grand Out (RogueArt)
• Andrew D’Angelo – BCDELUXE (Loveland)
• Patrick Shiroishi, Jason Nazary – here i am no i (We Jazz)
• Nicole McCabe, Savannah Harris – All Together Now (Sudden Quarterly)
• Wadada Leo Smith – Constellations And Hemispheres (Burning Ambulance)
• Kris Davis Trio – Lost In Geneva (4166)
• Amalie Dahl’s Dafnie With Lisa Ullen – Live At Kafé Hærverk (Trost)

(Albums are listed by release date)

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“Don’t Rush” may be the title of one of the pieces on Shapeshifter, but it could just as easily serve as the album’s guiding principle. Brittany Pitt, guitarist Dan Pitt, and drummer Aidan McConnell never seem in a hurry; they allow each idea the time it needs, paying equal attention to phrasing, silence, and the spaces in between. Recorded live, the music retains a wonderfully unforced quality and is somehow deeply peaceful. Most striking is the generosity of the trio’s playing: each musician has the room to be fully present within the music. A beautiful first release from Pitt.

Brittany Pitt: tenor sax; Dan Pitt: guitar; Aidan McConnell: drums
Released September 4, 2026

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The two are as excellent as one could expect. The interplay is precise and spontaneous, reaching a level that feels possible only between such musicians, with this degree of openness. What makes the encounter even more remarkable is how far Sorey and Thomas push the symbiosis. Within the dry, metallic sound of the recording, piano and drums seem at times to merge into a single instrument, with attacks, resonances, and percussive sounds passing almost imperceptibly from one to the other. At times, it becomes genuinely difficult to tell whether a particular sound comes from the piano or the drum kit. Red Sulphur is unpredictable yet extraordinarily on point.

Tyshawn Sorey: drums; Pat Thomas: piano
Released September 11, 2026

Discover our Best Jazz Albums of 2026 (So Far)

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The Realist sounds different, and it is remarkably catchy from the very beginning. For once, the several spins it received weren’t about trying to get into the record, but about seeing whether that immediate appeal would survive repeated listening. Sometimes music that catches you this quickly can also let you go just as fast. Not here. The melodies seem to settle in a little deeper with every listen, while the superb rhythm section constantly finds ways to keep you locked in. Different, immediately engaging, and dangerously easy to put on again.

Janel Leppin: cello, Prophet 5; Devra Hoff: bass; Chad Taylor: drums, mbira
Released September 11, 2026

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The first two releases from Myra Melford’s Fire and Water Quintet already offered so much to enjoy, and Sure Grand Out confirms how special this group is. With Ingrid Laubrock, Mary Halvorson, Tomeka Reid, and Lesley Mok, who joined the quintet for Hear The Light Singing, alongside Melford, the group has an extraordinary amount of individual personality. Three albums in, the pleasure of hearing this quintet together hasn’t diminished one bit.

Myra Melford: piano; Mary Halvorson: guitar; Ingrid Laubrock: tenor, soprano saxophones; Tomeka Reid: cello; Lesley Mok: drums
Released September 14, 2026

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A full album of solo bass clarinet is a particular proposition, but BCDELUXE proves a welcome surprise. Andrew D’Angelo makes the instrument feel remarkably alive, exploring its depth, textures and possibilities without ever making the exercise feel overly serious or demonstrative. Plenty happens throughout, but above all, it is simply very well done. Inventive, playful and full of character, BCDELUXE is one of those records that proves far more entertaining than its premise might suggest, which makes the playful cover art all the more fitting.

Andrew D’Angelo: Bass Clarinet
Released September 18, 2026

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Listening to here i am no i feels like entering a mind still trying to understand what has happened. But it also means entering a world where grief gives both musicians the space to express what words may not capture, and listeners the chance to feel it rather than understand it. Those of us who loved Jaimie Branch’s music miss her too, although certainly not in the same way—or with the same intensity—as the people who knew and loved her personally. Empathy somehow seems easier to access through music, and this album allows us to connect more deeply with what Shiroishi and Nazary are expressing. Yet it is also about creativity, coming together again, and making new music. It carries forward the positive energy that Branch continues to inspire.

Jason Nazary: drums, percussion, electronics; Patrick Shiroishi: tenor saxophone, voice, effects
Releases September 18, 2026

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Savannah Harris’s presence was the initial draw to All Together Now. Her remarkable dexterity, always expressed with such delicacy, still amazes. But the album soon reveals why this particular duo is such a good idea. In Nicole McCabe, Harris has found a true counterpart on saxophone: equally agile, attentive, and inventive. Together, they create music that is accessible, atmospheric, and immediately enjoyable. An album to brighten September.

Nicole McCabe: alto saxophone; Savannah Harris: drums
Released September 18, 2026

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With music from Wadada Leo Smith, it often feels like receiving a gift of serene beauty at the push of a play button. His playing always seems to bring dimensions from somewhere beyond our world; it is mesmerizing, and Constellations and Hemispheres is no exception.

The five tracks feature different formations, from trio to octet, yet a remarkable sense of unity runs through it all. And perhaps it does not even matter that much to know who is playing when, as one quickly gets caught within the music, the universes it makes you travel through, and the light it offers. Space, mystery, and movement fill everything, but so does that unmistakable sense of calm Smith creates even when the music becomes more abstract.

Smith explains that “Love is more powerful than light, because love itself is the reason that light is possible.” Probably. And this is perhaps why, through the love of his art, he can bring so much light to us.

Wadada Leo Smith: trumpet | with Sylvie Courvoisier: piano (tracks 1 & 3); Marcus Gilmore: drums (tracks 1 & 3); Bobby Naughton: vibraphone (tracks 2-5); Lamar Smith: electric guitar (tracks 2, 3 & 5); Bill Laswell: electric bass (tracks 3 & 4); Melvin Gibbs: electric bass (tracks 3 & 4); Mauro Refosco: percussion (tracks 2, 3 & 5); Brian Jawara Gray: percussion (tracks 2, 3 & 5); Pheeroan akLaff: drums (tracks 2-5)
Released September 25, 2026

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This is the kind of album you put on and immediately realize it is the one you’ve been missing—the music you need right now, and for years to come. Yes, it is that good. Lost in Geneva is Kris Davis’ second album with bassist Robert Hurst and drummer Johnathan Blake, and the time they’ve spent playing together since Run the Gauntlet comes through everywhere. The virtuosity is extraordinary, of course, but so are the groove, the communication, the freedom, and those beautiful quieter moments when the music seems to open up completely. It is simply one of the outstanding records of 2026.

Kris Davis: piano; Robert Hurst: bass; Johnathan Blake: drums
Released September 25, 2026

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Some musicians’ presence on a record immediately sparks curiosity, and Lisa Ullén is certainly one of them. Joining Amalie Dahl’s Dafnie for this live recording at Oslo’s Kafé Hærverk, the Swedish pianist finds her place in a group with a strong identity of its own, while inevitably adding another dimension to the music. Her playing opens up new spaces, adds tension and unpredictability, and seems to push the band without ever disrupting its character, while Dahl’s compositions provide plenty of room for that. It is easy to understand why they keep finding opportunities to play together.

Amalie Dahl: alto saxophone; Oscar Andreas Haug: trumpet; Jørgen Bjelkerud: trombone; Nicolas Leirtrø: double bass; Patrycja Wybrańczyk: drums; Lisa Ullén: piano
Released September 25, 2026

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2026: New Releases Month by Month

January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December 2026

…and the Playlist Jazz 2026:
Listen to our 2026 playlist (link to Spotify) with all the monthly new-release selections and excerpts of the above albums (when available) for a total of (soon) 120 breathtaking tracks.

New Jazz Releases September 2026

And that is it for this September jazz selection.

Ten records, and ten very different ways of making music that feels alive, personal, and worth returning to, and together they make Jazz September 2026 another particularly rich selection.

What about you? What have you been listening to this September? Which new releases have caught your attention, and which ones keep bringing you back? As always, feel free to share your discoveries with us in the comments.

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