A Dozen Gems Worth Checking Out

Some exceptional CDs by up and coming jazz artists currently flying under the radar

Right out of the gate, a slew of new releases have grabbed my attention among the deluge of CDs that has already crossed my desk in 2025. These relative newcomers like bassist Kaisa Mäensivu, trombonists Altin Sencalar, alto saxophonists Sharel Cassity and Randal Despommier and guitarist Jackson Potter, all rate as exemplary TDWR candidates (Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition in old school Downbeat parlance). And for a few other rising stars like baritone saxophonist Jimmy Farace, trombonist Hanami Haruta and drummer Leon Anderson, their releases mark their auspicious recording debuts.

1. Sharel Cassity, Gratitude (Sunnyside)

The alto burner from Oklahoma is pushed by a regal rhythm section of pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Lewis Nash on her fifth outing as a leader. Guests Michael Dease on trombone and Terrell Stafford on trumpet also appear on two Cassity originals, the blazing uptempo “Magnetism” and the funky and hook-laden “Suspect.” The core quartet swings persuasively on “Stick Up” and “Kenny’s Quest,” then delivers a buoyantly rendition of the Charlie Chaplin classic, “Smile,” that opens with an intimate conversation between Cassity and bassist McBride before Nash enters on brushes. Cassity is at her most lyrical on the beautiful waltz-time title track and the introspective ballad, “The Promise.” The album closes on an upbeat note with the bluesy “In the Spirit,” which has Chestnut going to church on piano and McBride bringing the funk with some percolating bass lines on the bridge, in classic James Brown fashion. A stellar affair.

2. Kaisa’s Machine, Moving Parts (Greenleaf Music)

The Finnish double bassist-composer Kaisa Mäensivu, now living in New York, stunned two years ago with Taking Shape, her 2023 release on Greenleaf Music. That album made my Top Ten list that year and marked the promise of great things to come from this extraordinary talent. Now that same potent ensemble of guitarist Max Light, vibraphonist Sasha Berliner, pianist Eden Ladin and drummer Joe Peri, collectively known as Kaisa’s Machine, is back for more on Moving Parts, her third release as a leader. The group’s signatures — intricate ensemble work, high energy improvisations, moving harmonies and tight grooves — are again on display here from the breakneck opener, “Tykytys,” to the driving closer, “Best Kept Secrets,” a wonderful showcase for the vibraphonist’s improvisational chops. Light’s fluid linear concept on guitar throughout is the freshest thing I’ve heard in the six-string world since Allan Holdsworth. And while Mäensivu’s intelligent writing is the star of this show, her muscular-musical bass soloing also comes to the fore on “Midnight Sun,” the cascading “Moon Waves” and “Origin Story,” the latter featuring a guest appearance by tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana. The loping “Who’s Asking,” underscored by a modified Vernel Fournier-styled “Poinciana” groove from drummer Peri, is the catchiest tune of the set. And Maja Mannila adds a unique flavor on “Satama (Harbor),” providing Finnish vocals on the leader’s most personal number of the collection. This one may very well make my Top 10 list this year.

3. Jackson Potter, Small Things (Shifting Paradigm Records)

New York-based guitarist Potter, a former student of guitarist John Hart’s at the University of Miami, Frost School of Music, has assembled a swinging quintet for his sophomore outing. Stalwart bassist Hamish Smith, drummer Marcello Cardillo, trumpeter Alex Ridout and tenor saxophonist Troy Roberts provide an urgently swinging cushion on the opener, “Trams.” Potter’s extended solo guitar intro to Jerome Kern’s “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” is positively Joe Pass-ian before the band serves up a sublime rendition of that standard. Things get a lot more visceral on a burning romp through Victor Lewis’ “Hey, It’s Me You’re Talking To,” which has Potter comping furiously behind some rapid-fire solo exhanges between Roberts and Ridout. Alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw and vocalist Sophia Formella also appear on the compelling title track. Potter’s “Background Noise” opens on a ruminative note before building to an ecstatic crescendo. His rendition of Cole Porter’s “Everything I Love” opens with some brilliant solo guitar before morphing to pure burn mode, showcasing solos from Roberts, Ridout and the leader along the way. They also turn in a faithful reading of Dave Brubeck’s bouyant “The Duke” and close on a tender note with Potter’s beautiful “Sophia’s Waltz.” Definitely TDWR.

4. Randal Despommier, South (Sunnyside)

New Orleans alto saxophonist Despommier, now based in Brooklyn, joins NOLA veterans David Torkanowsky on piano, James Singleton on bass and Johnny Vidacovich on drums in taking significant liberties on Crescent City classics like Professor Longhair’s “Go to the Mardi Gras” and Allen Toussaint’s “Southern Nights,” which is rendered in particularly impressionistic fashion. Their gloriously relaxed rendition of Sidney Bechet’s “Si tu vois ma mère” opens with an intimate dialogue between Despommier’s alto and Singleton’s bass before the enigmatic Johnny V enters on drums to complete the copasetic trio. Torkanowsky provides the perfect blues-drenched touch on Despommier’s “Jelly Roll’s Living Room,” his tribute to Jelly Roll Morton. The leader’s haunting “Blues Rheumatica” may be his answer to Thelonious Monk’s “Crepescule with Nellie” while his impressionistic take on Charles Mingus’ “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat,” which opens with Singleton playing contrapuntally against Despommier’s alto melody, is a highpoint of this fine outing. Despommier’s drummer father, Phil, makes a guest appearance on a soulful reading of “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” to put a sanctified bow on this sumptuous package.

5. Jimmy Farace, Hours Fly, Flowers Die (Shifting Paradigm Records)

Chicago baritone sax ace Farace makes his auspicious debut as a leader with Hours Fly, Flowers Die. An uncommonly mature outing for this young rising star, it showcases Farace’s writing and arranging for his quintet augmented by The KAIA Sring Quartet. There’s a kinetic thrust to the energetic opener, “Growing Pains,” which finds the strings providing uplift against Farace’s muscular bari playing. On the mellow side is “Ferson Creek,” which casts the strings in cinematic mode against Ferace’s lyrical bari work. “Prophetic Dreams” is an affecting ballad that also showcases pianist Julius Tucker while “Directionally Challenged” is an uptempo swinger (sans strings) done up in intricate Lennie Tristano fashion. Other highlights on this ambitious outing include the dynamic title track, a dramatic reading of Billy Strayhorn’s “Single Petal of a Rose” (with Ferrace’s bari accompanied only by the string quartet) and a gorgeous, full nonet rendition of Kurt Weill’s “My Ship.” TDWR.

6. Nanami Haruta, The Vibe (Origin Records)

In 2023, Tokyo based trombonist Haruta made the move to Michigan State University, where she began studying with bassist Rodney Whitaker and trombonist Michael Dease. Both mentors appear on her debut as a leader, which also features pianist Xavier Davis and drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. Dease, who co-produced this fine outing along with Gregg Hill, plays second trombone to Haruta throughout. He also blows heroically on bari sax on Renee Rosnes’ lilting waltz “Girlie’s World” and on Curtis Fuller’s hard bop staple “Algonquin” (from his great 1958 Blue Note album, Bone & Bari). Haruta proves a formidable soloist on that track as well as on Hill’s more open-ended, swirling title track, which also finds her experimenting with electronic effects on his brass instrument. She turns in her most lyrical playing on her beautiful waltz-time “Toshi,” which has her engaging in some conversational call-and-response with Dease, and also on her tender ballad “Heartstrings.” She deftly shifts from introspection to mid-tempo swinging alongside Dease’s trombone on Whitaker’s “Jamerson’s Lullaby.” Then she delivers some sparks on her “Woodpecker” before closing on a profoundly moving note with an intimate trio rendition (with bassist Whitaker and guitarist Chris Minami) on Alex North’s hauntingly beautiful “Unchained Melody.” An auspicious debut indeed for another TDWR.

7. Esthesis Quartet, Sound & Fury (Sunnyside)

There’s an ethereal quality to the Esthesis Quartet that is both dreamy and compelling. Add guitar marvel Bill Frisell to the mix and you have an absolutely magnificent marriage of aesthetics. Originally intended as a project for the late cornetist Ron Miles, a longtime collaborator of Frisell’s, the quartet of Swedish flutist Elsa Nilsson, pianist Dawn Clement, bassist Emma Dayhuff and drummer Tina Raymond brought the guitarist’s signature voice on board to fill the soloist role after Miles passed away from an illness in early March 2022. Their chemistry is particularly effective on Clement’s four-movement “Suite for Ron Miles,” which includes the spacious free form improvisation “Together,” the driving and aggressive “Fit of Fury,” and the peaceful, concluding number, “Is There a Message.” Some of Frisell’s warmest, most affecting guitar work on the session comes on Nilsson’s mellow ballad “Just Come Play.” Elsewhere, Dayhuff’s atmospheric tone poem “Capricorn” offers some electrified intrigue while Raymond’s “Ace of Pentacles” develops from introspective minimalism to a sunny, folkish song in the round that perfectly suits Frisell’s gentle, joyful sensibility. While the Esthesis Quartet cast a kind of spell on their previous two outings, this third, courtesy of the presence of the singular six-stringer Frisell, is even more spellbinding.

8. Anthony Ferrara, Factory Fresh (SteepleChase)

On his third album as a leader, up and coming tenor saxophonist Ferrara teams with New York veterans Gary Versace on piano, Jay Anderson on bass and Billy Drummond on drums for a stellar program ranging from the 1943 Nat King Cole straight ahead classic “Straighten Up and Fly Right” to a harmonically intriguing interpretation of Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints,” with several swinging and searching originals by Ferrara inbetween. This is a highly interactive outing where the conversations open up considerably as the pieces develop, with all the players reacting strictly in the moment, as on the adventurous title track and the rubato, ECM-ish “Falling For Nothing.” Versace, a valued sideman in a myriad of different settings, including the Maria Schneider Orchestra and Matt Wilson’s Big Happy Family, acquits himself beautifully on piano here, turning in harmonically provocative and intriguing solos on “Casual Spirit,” “Clean and Green” and “Missing Borders.” Ferrara solos with uncommon maturity, taste and a sense of freedom throughout this superb outing, particularly on the title track, “To A Crisp” and the dramatic closer, “The Kind of Love You Give,” where sparks fly. TDWR.

9. Alex Coke & Carl Michel Sextet, Situation (PlayOn Records)

This Austin-based sextet co-led by tenor saxophonist-flutist Coke and guitarist Michel taps into some wild sonic exploration on its third outing. Harpist Elaine Barber, vibraphonist Carolyn Trowbridge, pedal steel guitarist Bob Hoffnar and bassist James Suter add to the ethereal group sound on mysterioso numbers like “Sketchy,” “The Seeker,” the ambient “Sea and Sky,” the playful snippet “Let’s Go To The Park” and the eerie title track. Elsewhere on their third outing, this band of musical renegades from Texas cover Carla Bley’s “440,” Wayne Shorter’s “Miyako,” Thelonious Monk’s “Crepescule with Nellie” and Camille Saint-Saens’ “Aquarium” (from The Carnival of the Animals) with delightfully wacky and wholly original results.

10. Altin Sencalar, Unleashed (PosiTone)

A one-time graduate assistant to trombonist Michael Dease at Michigan State University, trombonist-composer Sencalar tackles tunes by Eric Dolphy, John Coltrane and mentor Dease, along with one oft-covered standard and five originals on this stellar sextet outing. Vibraphonist Behn Gillece, tenor saxophoinist Greg Tardy, alto saxophonist Bruce Williams, bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer E.J. Strickland are on board for the trombonist’s fifth as a leader. Opening with the exhilarating title track, a challenging uptempo original that showcases his considerable chops, Sencalar shifts to a “Poinciana”-like lilt underneath his beautiful ballad “Foregiveness,” then renders Eric Dolphy’s “17 West” with a second line groove from Strickland and an expansive clarinet solo from Tardy. Dease’s chops-busting “Solid Gold” is a standout track while Sencalar dips into a bit of Latin romanticism on “Buenaventura.” The sextet expertly navigates its way through Trane’s “Straight Street,” with a touch of Latin feel thrown in for good measure, then they turn in a reharmonized, re-imagined and eminently swinging version of Sigmund Romberg’s “Softly, As In a Morning Sunrise.” And they close with Sencalar’s R&B flavored “What’s Next,” which has Strickland laying down a slamming backbeat behind a potent sequence of solos from the leader, saxophonist Tardy and bassist Kozlov.

11. Xhosa Cole, On a Modern Genius, Vol. 1 (Stoney Lane Records)

The gifted British tenor player, named the BBC’s Young Jazz Musician of the Year in 2018, pays tribute to Thelonious Monk on his third outing as a leader. Guitarist Steve Saunders, bassist Josh Vadiveloo, drummer Nathan England Jones and tap dancer Liberty Styles (on five of the seven tracks here) join Cole on imaginative takes on Monk staples like “Trinkle Tinkle,” “Rhythm-a-ning,” “Let’s Cool One” and “Bright Mississippi,” as well as medleys of “Criss Cross/’Round Midnight/Brilliant Corners” and “Misterioso/Straight, No Chaser.” This first volume of Cole’s Monk tribute finds the quartet, augmented by tap dancer, opening up on these familiar vehicles in a live setting while in the midst of a 38-date tour of the UK in 2023. And though Cole may be flying under the radar Stateside, his playing here more than merits the acclaim he has received on the other side of the pond. He’s got a big, bold tone and plays with raw abandon when it comes to improvising. And his supportive band is with him every step of the way — including tap dancer Styles, who adds some secret sauce to this infectious recipe with his facile footwork, particularly in his call-and-response exchanges with drummer Jones on “Rhythm-a-ning.” Guitarist Saunders’ brilliant chord melody work is showcased on a mellow rendition of “Let’s Cool One” (sans tap dancer). Breaking from the Monk themed program, they close it out with a tender rendition of Ellington’s beautiful ballad “Come Sunday,” with Heidi Vogel on vocals and Styles providing an interactive percussive undercurrent. Simply stunning.

12. Leon Anderson, Live at Snug Harbor (Outside In Music)

A seasoned drummer who has worked with fellow New Orleanians like Ellis Marsalis, Victor Goines and Terence Blanchard as well as a dedicated educator since 1998 at Florida State University, Anderson makes his long-overdue debut with this live outing from the Crescent City’s premier club for modern jazz, Snug Harbor. Joined by NOLA-born-and-bred trumpeter John Michael Bradford, tenor saxophonist Ricardo Pascal (a former student of his at FSU), Honduras-born pianist Oscar Rossignoli and veteran bassist Rodney Jordan, drummer-composer Anderson leads his quintet through a program of his originals like the sizzling opener, “P.J.’s,” the elegant and buoyant “Lil Miss Ariel” (a kind of cross between Freddie Hubbard’s “Up Jumped Spring” and Benny Golson’s “Afternoon in Paris”) and swaggering Jazz Messengers-sounding numbers like “Lil Froggy’s Blues” and “Vengeance.” In the solo department, Bradford is a marvel, both in his crackling, high-note fusillades and his more lyrical asides, as on the tender ballad “Understanding.” And Pascal conjures up some show-stopping solos with his robust tone and fluid, Trane-inspired sheets of sound approach on the horn. But for sheer collective burn, look no further than “88 to 1621,” which unleashes Pascal right out of the gate before Bradford and Rossignoli respond with some heat of their own on their respective solos. The leader kicks in a whirlwind drum solo at the end of this pyrotechnic workout. And they close on an earthy note with the real-deal blues shuffle, “The Bruz of AD2,” just to keep things grounded and funky. A must-hear for straight ahead fans.