contemporary jazz | Progressive Rock Central.com

Sex Magick Wizards Suola ja Noaidi cover artwork. A high-contrast cover featuresn inverted-color landscape in reds, blacks, and whites beneath a dark crimson sky. At the center, a mirrored white form resembling feathers, bones, or ritual totems stands against a barren marsh with leafless trees. A black banner across the top displays the artist name "SEX MAGICK WIZARDS" and the album title "SUOLA JA NOAIDI" in bold white capital letters.

CD Reviews

Sex Magick Wizards Explore Sámi History on Suola ja Noaidi

Sex Magick Wizards – Suola ja Noaidi (Is it Jazz? Records, 2026) The intersection of indigenous tradition and creative music in Scandinavia has produced a…

Snarky Puppy Somni cover artwork. An illustration of tree roots painted in various colors.

CD Reviews

Snarky Puppy and Metropole Orkest Reunite for a Masterpiece Called Somni

Angel Romero June 16, 2026 No Comments Annerieke Nentjes Annie Tångberg Benjamin de Boer Bill Laurance Bob Lanzetti Bob Reynolds Bobby Sparks II Chris Bullock Chris McQueen contemporary jazz David Kweksilber David Peijnenborgh Dobril Popdimitrov Elisabeth Otra Sangenaro Emile Visser Erik Winkelmann Ewa Zbyszynska Federico Nathan Frank Wardenier fusion Gideon Nelissen Herman van Haaren Hugo Freitas Iris Schut Isabella Petersen Jamison Ross Jan Bastiani Janine Abbas Jascha Albracht Jason “JT” Thomas Jasper van Rosmalen Jay Jennings jazz jazz-rock Joel Siepmann Julia Jowett Justin Stanton Keita Ogawa Koen Smits Larnell Lewis Leo Janssen Linda Lukas Maartje Kraan Marc Scholten Marcelo Woloski María Ángeles Chaparro Fuentes María Cristina González Perez Mariël van den Bos Mark Lettieri Martin van den Berg Mason Davis Maxime Le Minter Merel Jonker Metropole Orkest Michael League Michelle Brunt Mike “Maz” Maher Murk Jiskoot Nate Werth Nico Schepers Nikki Glaspie Norman Jansen Paul van der Feen Pauline Terlouw Peter Delannoye Pieter Hungeld Rani Kumar Raquel Marin Garcés Ray Bruinsma Ries Schellekens Róbert Bába Robinson Khoury Ruben Margarita Sanne Bakker Sarah Koh Sjoerd Dijkhuizen Snarky Puppy Valentine Blangé Vera Laporeva Zach Brock

Snarky Puppy and Metropole Orkest – Somni (GroundUP Music, 2025) Somni, Snarky Puppy and Metropole Orkest’s second collaborative album, was recorded live during three nights…

An abstract album cover featuring washes of blue, gold, peach, and deep red that resemble sunlight reflecting across water. The title, Faster Than We Know, appears in handwritten script, while “Benjie Porecki” is set below in blue lettering.

CD Reviews

Benjie Porecki Catalyzes Trio Chemistry on Faster Than We Know

Charlie Melville June 5, 2026 No Comments Benjie Porecki contemporary jazz funk soul-jazz

Benjie Porecki — Faster Than We Know (Funklove Productions, 2026) Virtuoso keyboardist, organist, and pianist Benjie Porecki masterfully navigates multiple musical dialects with uncommon fluency.…

A black background with a colorful abstract watercolor painting at the center. The artwork features sections of blue, green, and red-orange, connected by branching lines and dotted with small yellow leaf-like shapes.

CD Reviews

Emily Bezar’s ‘Vista,’ Fragments Of A Fruitful Imagination

Angel Romero May 3, 2026 No Comments ambient contemporary jazz electronic music Emily Bezar jazz-rock Progressive rock

Emily Bezar — Vista (2025) Vista (2025) finds American musician, producer, and composer Emily Bezar at a crucial vantage point. Through this exceptional, masterfully crafted…

Jan Gunnar Hoff Group – Voyage cover artwork. A coastal landscape photo.

CD Reviews

Jan Gunnar Hoff Group’s Voyage: European Jazz-Rock At Its Most Elegant And Explosive

Angel Romero April 6, 2026 No Comments bass contemporary jazz drums European jazz fusion Gary Husband guitar improvisation instrumental music Jan Gunnar Hoff jazz fusion jazz-rock keyboards Kjersti Holst Losen Records Max Franosch Michael Hartung Morten Lund Nguyên Lê Norwegian jazz Odd Gjelsnes Per Mathisen piano progressive jazz Samuel Barber Synthesizer world music

Jan Gunnar Hoff Group – Voyage (Losen Records, 2025) Voyage by Jan Gunnar Hoff Group is a truly fantastic, beautifully-crafted jazz-rock fusion album that brings…

Jake Breaks - Categorical Expansionism cover artwork. A wooden crate full of vinyl albums.

CD Reviews

Jake Breaks Goes Genre-Hopping On Categorical Expansionism

Charlie Melville March 20, 2026 No Comments contemporary jazz Jake Breaks rock

Jake Breaks – Categorical Expansionism (Wide Hive Records, 2025) Jake Breaks’ Categorical Expansionism is a galvanizing recording that fuses rock, instrumental hip hop, jazz, and…

The cover of Anagnorisis by Dwiki Dharmawan features a monochrome stone relief carved into a textured wall. At its center, a mother gestures toward a baby resting in a cradle-like pod, while an elderly bearded man looks on. Opposite them, a fierce, muscular mythic figure lunges forward, mouth open in a snarl.

CD Reviews

Dwiki Dharmawan’s Anagnorisis, Crosscurrents Where Indonesia Meets The Aegean

Angel Romero February 22, 2026 No Comments contemporary jazz Dwiki Dharmawan

Dwiki Dharmawan – Anagnorisis (Moonjune, 2025) Dwiki Dharmawan, Indonesian composer and instrumentalist, plays piano with the ardor of a true improviser, and he shines as…

Ralph Towner - photo by Caterina Di Perri. Black and white photo of Towner holding his guitar.

Obituaries

Ralph Towner, Pioneering Jazz Guitarist and Composer, Dies At 85

Angel Romero January 20, 2026 No Comments contemporary jazz jazz Oregon Ralph Towner world music

(headline image: Ralph Towner – Photo by Caterina Di Perri-ECM) Ralph Towner, a renowned American guitarist, pianist, composer, and longtime ECM recording artist, died on…

A cover with hand-drawn flowers that have eyes and quirky personalities against a reddish gradient background. The title Please Plant Flowers appears at the top in stitched lettering, while the artist’s name, Nicholas Mycio, sits on a small sign near the bottom.

New CDs and Digital releases

Nicholas Mycio Channels Turbulent Years On New Trio Album Please Plant Flowers

Prog News January 20, 2026 No Comments contemporary jazz jazz Nicholas Mycio

Brooklyn-born, Los Angeles-based guitarist Nicholas Mycio will release his new trio album Please Plant Flowers on March 20, 2026. The record features bassist Kyle Colina…

Gary Peacock oracle cover artwork. Two green and white photos over a white background.

New CDs and Digital releases

Oracle Returns: ECM Brings Gary Peacock and Ralph Towner Duo To Vinyl

Prog News January 19, 2026 No Comments contemporary jazz Gary Peacock jazz Ralph Towner

ECM has reissued Oracle, the 1994 duo album by bassist Gary Peacock and guitarist Ralph Towner, on vinyl for the first time as part of…