The reunion of two titans of Cuban music; an organ legend’s reboot; the first official release of an innovative drummer’s rare studio recording. All this and more are in our list of ten albums released this month (July 2022) that you need to know about.
Moor Mother, Jazz Codes (ANTI-)
Release date: July 1
Camae Ayewa, better known by her stage name Moor Mother, moves towards a more melodic approach, layering jazz, blues, soul and hip-hop with Jazz Codes, which sprung from a book of poetry of the same name and honors the jazz and blues icons of the past. Aside from featuring a great number of special guests, the record also marks Moor Mother’s new collaboration with Swedish producer Olof Melander.
Acoustic Lounge, Alone Together (Mingus)
Release date: July 8
Acoustic Lounge is a group made up of some of the most esteemed Danish jazz instrumentalists on the scene today. Drawing on an impressive variety of influences old and new, they showcase their characteristic relaxed, easy-going and playful sound on their new album, Alone Together, offering refreshing interpretations of timeless songs, preserving their essence while giving each composition an idiosyncratic modern twist.
Plínio Fernandes, Saudade (Decca Gold)
Release date: July 8
27-year-old Brazilian classical guitarist Plínio Fernandes makes his major-label debut with Saudade, an entrancing collection of works for solo guitar featuring special guests on sporadic tracks. The album features reinterpretations of music by great exponents of the Brazilian songwriting traditions, which Fernandes defines as “songs that I grew up listening to, and in many cases, I fell in love with the guitar through them.”
Ronnie Foster, Reboot (Blue Note)
Release date: July 15
Having focused on session work and production work for the past number of years, Ronnie Foster returns with his first album as a leader in 36 years. Reboot is simultaneously a celebration of the past, including the legacy of the much-missed Dr. Lonnie Smith, and marks a fresh new start for the legendary Hammond organist, featuring his son Chris Foster on drums and Michael O’Neill on guitar.
Sachal Vasandani and Romain Collin, Still Life (Edition)
Release date: July 15
Still Life is vocalist Sachal Vasandani and pianist Romain Collin’s deeply emotive, introspective and nuanced follow-up to their acclaimed 2021 album, Midnight Shelter. Produced with no edits or overdubs, this new intimate collection offers duo reworkings of classic and modern songs alike, interspersed with memorable original compositions.
Sheila Jordan, Live at Mezzrow (Cellar/SmallsLIVE)
Release date: July 15
Live at Mezzrow is the first live recording by legendary vocalist Sheila Jordan in nearly a decade. The album documents her performance at the intimate Mezzrow Jazz Club with her longtime rhythm section of pianist Alan Broadbent and bassist Harvie S. It is also the inaugural release of SmallsLIVE’s Living Masters Series, celebrating living jazz masters, funded by grants from the SmallsLIVE Foundation in collaboration with the Cellar Music Group.
Chucho Valdés & Paquito D’Rivera Reunion Sextet, I Missed You Too! (Sunnyside)
Release date: July 22
A collaboration between two titans of Cuban music, saxophonist/clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera and pianist Chucho Valdés released sixty years after their initial meeting. I Missed You Too! is their first recording since both were members of the influential Irakere group and finds them artfully blending jazz and Afro-Caribbean music alongside an exceptional group, aptly named the Reunion Sextet.
Tony Williams, Play or Die (M.I.G.)
Release date: July 22
The first official release of a rare 1980 trio studio recording by innovative jazz drummer Tony Williams with keyboardist Tom Grant and bassist Patrick O’Hearn. Recorded over the course of two days while Williams was on tour, the recently-unhearted Play or Die and its five original tracks re-emerge with remastered audio enhancing its touches of rock grandeur and new wave fashion.
DOMi & JD BECK, NOT TiGHT (APESHIT/Blue Note)
Release date: July 29
DOMi & JD BECK has been called the internet’s most hyped jazz duo and praised for its hyperarticulate strain of beat music. NOT TiGHT marks their debut album on Andreson .Paak’s new label APESHIP in partnership with Blue Note, and finds them doing their thing, joined by an impressive lineup of star guests, including Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Herbie Hancock and Thundercat to name but a few.
Harish Raghavan, In Tense (Whirlwind)
Release date: July 29
Bassist/composer Harish Raghavan follows up his 2019 debut, Calls for Action, with a brand new thoughtful and captivating album of all-original material. In Tense was recorded at the end of 2020 and is a response to that year’s monumental events, written specifically for the exceptional band of drummer Eric Harland, guitarist Charles Altura, Joel Ross on vibraphone and marimba, and Morgan Guerin on woodwinds.
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