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Those who have frequented New York’s City’s staple jazz venues in recent years will have noticed a bright new name increasingly appearing consistently. From Dizzy’s and Small’s to Jazz at Lincoln Center, the 2021 BMI Future Jazz Master Caelan Cardello is a pianist whose renown is dramatically and rightly spreading. A mentee of jazz greats such as Harold Mabern, Bill Charlap and Fred Hersch, Cardello’s playing leans into the timeless elements of swing while raising melody, with depths of nuance and intentionality, to the fore. Now, taking to the studio for the first time, Cardello presents eight original compositions and three arrangements on “Chapter One.”

“Summit” is the culmination of nearly two decades of compositional exploration—a collection of pieces written across different stages of guitarist Nadav Remez’s life that ultimately coalesced into a unified artistic statement. It showcases a group of fearless, emotionally resonant musicians, with longtime collaborators Gregory Tardy and Ben Tiberio bringing deep rooted chemistry, while newer voices Guy Moskovich and David Sirkis inject fresh energy. The album blends original compositions with reimagined Israeli and Jewish melodies, creating a musical topography where the past and present converge seamlessly.

Also this week, the Wild Iris Brass Band, a Nashville-based, New Orleans-informed brass band co-led by saxophonist Jeff Coffin and trombonist Ray Mason, are joined by special guests Bela Fleck and Steven Bernstein for their debut release, “Way Up”; the Ira B. Liss Big Band Jazz Machine pairs “Unexpected “Guests” and instruments with the classic 17-piece big band on their latest disc; and pianist and composer Art Hirahara and a stellar septet of renowned musicians provide an emotional journey through the diverse landscape of modern jazz on “Peace Unknown.”

Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
Surrounded by the brilliant musical family who have centered his band for years—bassist Rodney Whitaker, pianist Rick Roe and drummer Quincy Davis—guitarist Randy Napoleon calls back four of his fleet-fingered, virtuoso former guitar students to share the stage and build up something new for his 10^th project as a leader, “Waking Dream.” Centered on compositions from the prolific Gregg Hill, along with several of his own, he arranged each for this 5-guitar choir of musicians, all connected through years of Napoleon’s mentorship, each fully evolved in their own artistry.

Twenty years after the first went head-to-head on 2005’s “The Battle,” saxophone heavy hitters Eric Alexander and Vincent Herring square off once again for a long-anticipated rematch. The ferocious swing and robust melodicism of “Split Decision” is the third in a trilogy of blistering summit meetings captured on stage live at Smoke Jazz Club. There’s also ample inspiration to be had when you’re working with the caliber of rhythm section that the pair enlisted for this date. Pianist Mike LeDonne and bassist John Weber reprise their roles from the two previous dates, this time joined by the legendary Lewis Nash on drums.

Also this week, “My Latin Heart” originates from flutist Roger Glenn’s earliest inspirations growing up in a jazz family which included his father, jazz legend Tyree Glenn, and surrounded by a rich mix of cultures; saxophonist and composer Jaleel Shaw, who performed with Stefon Harris at this year’s Iowa City Jazz Festival, unveils “Painter of the Invisible”; and trumpeter Alex Sipiagin offers up his 14^th release as a leader, “Reverberations.”