What better way to start June than with a fresh set of jazz releases? Raffy Bushman’s New Life sees the pianist return to the trio lineup, and Trish Clowes’ Try Me presents atmospheric improvisations rooted in London’s river soundscape. Shawn Purcell’s Oblivity features a dynamic quintet exploring originals and Anthony Joseph’s The Ark extends his Afrofuturist vision with Dave Okumu into a genre-blending mix of funk, jazz and dub. Finally to finish this week’s round-up, Robin Fincker, Kit Downes and Lauren Kinsella’s Two Minds deepens the group’s fusion of Irish tradition, poetry and improvisation into an atmospheric trio setting.
New Life
Raffy Bushman
UK jazz pianist Raffy Bushman returns to his trio roots on New Life, distilling years of exploration across jazz, hip-hop, and classical crossover into his own unique and expressive sound. Written during a period of profound personal change, the album captures themes of love, family, and new beginnings through seven original compositions.
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 48 kHz, 24 bit)
Try Me
Trish Clowes
UK saxophonist-composer Trish Clowes returns with Try Me, an atmospheric new album with her ensemble, My Iris, that transforms field recordings from London’s Thames Path into richly textured compositions and searching improvisations. Blending urban soundscapes with bold ensemble interplay, the album captures the river’s shifting moods through Clowes’ distinctive writing and deeply individual voice.
Available format: CD
Oblivity
Shawn Purcell
Guitarist Shawn Purcell presents Oblivity, bringing together a dynamic quintet of leading improvisers and led alongside saxophonist Walt Weiskopf. Delivering a set of original compositions that span searing fusion to lyrical ballads, Purcell demonstrates plenty of inventive textures and a sense of real cohesive musical vision.
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
The Ark
Anthony Joseph
Award-winning Trinidadian poet and musician Anthony Joseph returns with The Ark, the second chapter in a two-album cycle exploring Afrofuturism, alternate histories, and the intersections of the personal and the collective Black experience. Produced by Dave Okumu and featuring a stellar ensemble, the record blends funk, jazz, dub, and experimental sound into a freewheeling, genre-defying “sonic vessel” for Joseph’s vivid, imaginative storytelling.
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 24 bit)
Two Minds
Shadowlands
French saxophonist Robin Fincker, pianist Kit Downes and vocalist Lauren Kinsella return as Shadowlands with Two Minds, a refined continuation of their exploration of tradition, improvisation and contemporary composition. Blending Irish sean-nós song, poetry and experimental textures, the trio create a slow-moving, atmospheric sound world where voice and instruments merge into a living, evolving musical language.
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
