contemporary jazz | Progressive Rock Central.com

The album cover for Falling From Earth by Bob Schlesinger features a blurred, grayscale image of a figure mid-air, arms extended upward in a falling or leaping motion. The title and artist's name appear in white text at the top center.

Bob Schlesinger Makes His Debut With Falling From Earth

Pianist and composer Bob Schlesinger will release Falling From Earth, his debut album as a bandleader, on August 1, 2025. Recorded with an elite ensemble…

CD Reviews

Rebecca Vasmant Finds Her Voice

Charlie Melville June 3, 2025 No Comments contemporary jazz Rebecca Vasmant

Rebecca Vasmant – Who We Are, Becoming (2025) Rebecca Vasmant’s second album, Who We Are, Becoming, marks a pivotal moment in the Glasgow-based producer and…

The album cover for Bill Laurance & Michael League – Keeping Company features a painting of two shadowy, humanoid figures blending into a greenish, misty background.

CD Reviews

Doubling Down on Dialog: Laurance & League Keep Company

Charlie Melville June 1, 2025 No Comments Bill Laurance contemporary jazz fusion jazz Michael League

Bill Laurance & Michael League – Keeping Company (ACT, 2024) Bill Laurance and Michael League’s duo collaboration, Keeping Company, is a continuation of their exploration…

A soft, painterly landscape shows arid hills and brush under a swirling sky, with bold red lettering reading In The Rain Shadow.

CD Reviews

MVI Invites Listeners to Pause, Reflect, and Stay Awhile

Angel Romero May 29, 2025 No Comments classical crossover contemporary jazz Mark Vickness MVI western classical music world fusion

MVI – In the Rain Shadow (self-release, 2023) On In the Rain Shadow, composer, and guitarist Mark Vickness’ third album, delivers both a musical travelogue…

The album cover for Andy Pratt Trio features a red-and-black color scheme with a moody, jazz-club ambiance. On the right, guitarist Andy Pratt is shown mid-performance under a starburst-style ceiling light. On the left, three red circles contain minimalist black slashes, with “Andy Pratt” in the top circle and “Trio” in the bottom.

CD Reviews

Andy Pratt’s Trio Takes the Scenic Route Through the Standards

Charlie Melville May 22, 2025 No Comments Andy Pratt contemporary jazz jazz

Andy Pratt – Trio (Thrift Girl Records, 2024) Chicago virtuoso guitarist and vocalist Andy Pratt returns to the spotlight with Trio, a stripped-down, straight-ahead jazz…

The album cover for Abracadabra by Soft Works features a collage-style design with contrasting imagery. A large yellow road sign with a circular arrow dominates the left side. Below it, a keyboard "Return" key is embedded in the composition. On the right, part of a golden Buddha face. The title "Soft Works" appears in bold yellow uppercase letters at the top, with the word "abracadabra" in blue cursive beneath it. The bottom right lists band members: Elton Dean, Allan Holdsworth, Hugh Hopper, and John Marshall. A sticker announces the remastering and two bonus live tracks.

CD Reviews

Hold the Sax: Soft Works Casts a Cool Spell on Abracadabra

Angel Romero May 19, 2025 No Comments contemporary jazz fusion jazz-rock Soft Works

Soft Works – Abracadabra (Moonjune, 2025 reissue) When Abracadabra first appeared in 2003, it arrived quietly but confidently, an elusive work from Soft Works, the…

The album cover for The Clockmaster by Clay Wulbrecht features an ornate, antique-style clock face overlaid on a vintage illustration of a cobbled European village. The clock displays exposed gears and intricate machinery at its center, with Roman numerals in alternating red and gold tones marking the hours. The title and artist’s name appear subtly at the bottom right.

CD Reviews

Clocking In: Clay Wulbrecht Bends Time on The Clockmaster

Angel Romero May 8, 2025 No Comments Clay Wulbrecht contemporary jazz fusion Progressive rock

Clay Wulbrecht – The Clockmaster (Instru Dash Mental IDMJZ006, 2025) Clay Wulbrecht, a State College, Pennsylvania-based composer, pianist, and arranger, presents The Clockmaster, a dynamic,…

The album cover for Reach by Kneebody features a black background, a series of elongated, gradient-colored geometric shapes—ranging from white to yellow to red and magenta. They recede into the distance, converging toward a small cyan sphere. The band name and album title appear in lowercase in the top left and right corners, respectively.

CD Reviews

Kneebody Stretches Out: “Reach” Finds New Limbs, Same Pulse

Charlie Melville May 7, 2025 No Comments contemporary jazz funk fusion jazz-rock Kneebody

Kneebody – Reach (GroundUP, 2025) Six years off the radar, Kneebody returns not with a whisper but with Reach, an electrified statement that doubles as…

The album cover for Soft Ffog – Focus features a dramatic seascape where a pirate ship with tattered, flaming sails floats above a stormy ocean. Below, shipwreck survivors struggle on jagged rocks as lightning flashes across the turbulent sky. A lone black dog watches from a cliff, adding to the eerie, fantastical atmosphere. The band's name and album title appear in stylized white lettering in the top right corner.

CD Reviews

Ffoggy Notions: Soft Ffog Sharpen Their Focus With a Bold, Rock-Forward Evolution

Aiden Robinson April 28, 2025 No Comments contemporary jazz jazz-rock Progressive rock Soft Ffog

Soft Ffog – Focus (Is it Jazz? Records, 2025) Norwegian progressive music band Soft Ffog returns with Focus, a follow-up that is at once tighter,…

Theo Croker - Photo credit Bruno Baretto. Theo wearing glasses, holding a trumpet.

Music Videos

Trumpet Meets Electronica: Theo Croker Presents “High Vibrations (feat. Malaya)” Single

Prog News April 24, 2025 No Comments contemporary jazz electronic music fusion Theo Croker trumpet

(headline image: Theo Croker – Photo by Bruno Baretto) American trumpeter, composer, producer, and vocalist Theo Croker has announced his upcoming album Dream Manifest, set…