This week’s new releases include Led Zeppelin's one and only Robert Plant with his blues-drenched Saving Grace, and original Snarky Puppy member and pianist Bill Laurance delivers his introspective solo album Lumen. Guitarist Donny McCaslin defies genre in Lullaby for the Lost, Alex Hitchcock engages with the political and cultural lineage of jazz through a transatlantic lens in Letters from Afar, and Extraordinary Journey from the ensemble Shear Brass honours and reimagines the enduring legacy of Sir George Shearing. Finally, I Hold the Lion’s Paw continues to defy genre expectations altogether with Potentially Interesting Jazz Music, a playful yet radical exploration of improvisation and identity.
Potentially Interesting Jazz Music
I Hold the Lion's Paw
Potentially Interesting Jazz Music, the third album from I Hold the Lion’s Paw, is a genre-defying journey that fuses trumpet, synths, voice, and improvisation into a futuristic soundscape. Led by trumpeter Reuben Lewis and shaped by a dynamic quartet, the ensemble continues its rebellious evolution where collaboration and spontaneity are at the centre of the sound.
Available format: CD
Lullaby for the Lost
Donny McCaslin
Lullaby for the Lost finds visionary saxophonist Donny McCaslin (best known for his groundbreaking work on David Bowie’s Blackstar) channelling the raw intensity of improvised jams into a cinematic, genre-blurring album. Influenced by rock sounds and heavy beats, it’s a bold statement that treats the saxophone like a lead vocal and invites listeners to lose themselves in the music.
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Extraordinary Journey
Shear Brass
Extraordinary Journey is a vibrant tribute to jazz legend Sir George Shearing, tracing his musical evolution and reimagining his compositions through bold brass arrangements by Jason McDermid. Featuring top UK jazz talent and fresh compositions in Shearing’s signature style, the album blends reverence with reinvention, bringing his timeless sound into the present with heart and style.
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 48 kHz, 24 bit)
Lumen
Bill Laurance
A completely different project from his work with fusion band Snarky Puppy, Lumen is a deeply intimate solo album from pianist Bill Laurance, recorded alone at night in an empty church. Created in a place where composition and improvisation magically found a delicate balance, this solo piano album sees Laurance blend emotional poignancy with spacious acoustics.
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 48 kHz, 24 bit)
Saving Grace
Robert Plant
Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant delivers Saving Grace, the debut album from his new band of kindred spirits, and described as “a song book of the lost and found”. Created in the English countryside during lockdown, the project blends folk, blues, and roots influences with a deeply personal and nostalgic spirit, shaped by six years of collaboration.
Available format: CD
Letters From Afar
Alex Hitchcock
Saxophonist and Ivor Novello-nominated composer Alex Hitchcock presents Letters from Afar, a dynamic release recorded in New York that explores his evolving dialogue with Black American music. Merging UK-rooted creativity with the urgency of NYC’s jazz scene, Hitchcock delivers dynamic, politically conscious compositions that push the boundaries of improvisation and form.
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
