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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

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…

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

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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…

The album cover features a serene night scene with a cluster of trees reflected perfectly in calm water, creating a symmetrical composition. Above, a vivid, starry sky with hints of a glowing nebula. The text reads The Haas Company Vol. 3 — Song for Mimi, with a note below indicating Featuring Samuel Hällkvist.

CD Reviews

Mimi’s Electric Company — The Haas Company Vol. 3 Sparks with Samuel Hallkvist

Angel Romero March 30, 2025 No Comments fusion Guy Prat jazz-rock Jerry Goodman Kirwan Brown Mark Feldman Nicholas Draps Pete Drungle Progressive rock Robert Wechsler Samuel Hallkvist Scott Tixler Sean Lennon Steve Haas The Haas Company Todd Reynolds

The Haas Company Vol 3 – Song for Mimi Featuring Samuel Hallkvist (Psychiatric Records and Tapes, 2025) (Psychiatric Records and Tapes, 2025) In a remarkably…

The album cover for Here Come the Robots! by The John Irvine Band depicts a post-apocalyptic cityscape with crumbling, burning skyscrapers. Amid the ruins, large, menacing robots stride through the rubble.

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Mechanical Precision: The John Irvine Band’s Final ‘End of Days’ Chapter

Angel Romero March 23, 2025 No Comments fusion jazz-rock Progressive rock The John Irvine Band

The John Irvine Band – Here Come The Robots! (self-release, 2025) Here Come the Robots! is the eighth album by the John Irvine Band and…

The album cover for Nitecap – "Long Haul" (feat. Jarrod Lawson) features a vintage, Western-inspired desert landscape. A long, open road stretches into the horizon, flanked by cacti and rugged rock formations. The sky is painted in warm hues of orange, pink, and brown, with a stylized sun setting behind distant mountains. Bold, Western-style typography presents the artist and track title in white with a red outline. The artwork has a textured, hand-drawn quality.

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In It for the Long Haul: Nitecap Joins Forces with Jarrod Lawson on New Single

Prog News March 11, 2025 No Comments funk fusion jazz-rock Nitecap

Denver-based supergroup Nitecap has teamed up with acclaimed soul vocalist Jarrod Lawson for their latest single, Long Haul, a jazz-funk track exploring commitment and perseverance…

CD Reviews

Lost in Translation, Found in Sound: Schaerer’s Anthem for No Man’s Land

Charlie Melville March 10, 2025 No Comments Andreas Schaerer contemporary jazz fusion jazz Kalle Kalima Lucas Niggli Luciano Biondini

Andreas Schaerer, Luciano Biondini, Kalle Kalima, Lucas Niggli – Anthem For No Man’s Land (ACT, 2025) Swiss vocalist Andreas Schaerer, often compared to Bobby McFerrin…

The album cover for Liquid Reality by Anupam Shobhakar features a central figure, presumably Shobhakar, who stands in a cosmic portal, clad in black and holding an intricately designed electric instrument. Framing the scene is an ornate, temple-like archway with intricate carvings, steeped in deep reds and blacks, evoking a sense of ancient grandeur. Two multi-armed goddess-like statues flank the entrance. Above, a single eye watches from within the arch.

CD Reviews

Fretted and Fretless Guitar Wizardry: Anupam Shobhakar’s Liquid Reality

Angel Romero March 4, 2025 No Comments Anupam Shobhakar electric guitar fusion Indian music jazz-rock

Anupam Shobhakar – Liquid Reality (Self-Released, 2025) Indian-American musician Anupam Shobhakar’s Liquid Reality, set for release on March 14, 2025, coinciding with the Hindu festival…

The single cover for Medallion by Mark Lettieri features a stylized desert landscape with towering red rock formations, a lone cactus, and a warm sunset casting a golden glow. The artwork blends a modern, graphic style with a touch of retro aesthetics, using bold colors—shades of red, orange. A lone figure sits on a rock. The typography is clean and minimalistic.

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Lettieri Strikes Gold with “Medallion”

Prog News February 9, 2025 No Comments funk fusion jazz-rock Mark Lettieri

In the heat of a record-breaking Texas summer in 2021, guitarist Mark Lettieri crafted “Medallion,” a groove-driven track inspired by the vast landscapes of the…