Two great listens today, to new albums for 2026:

1) Tomeka Reid - dance! skip! hop! w/Mary Halvorson, Tomas Fujiwara, and Jason Roebke (same group as on the Tomeka Reid Quartet album, but they're using that name here). This was a more accessible outing than we sometimes get from Reid but still very rich and unpredictable. The closing track, "Silver Spring Fig Tree," was esp. gorgeous.

2) Aaron Shaw - And So It Is. Bits of soul jazz/spiritual jazz, post-bop, along with brief nods to hip hop, but all of it vibes really well together. Very warm album, enveloping even at its most sparse spots.

Can't wait to listen to both again.

#NewAlbums2026 #AaronShaw #TomekaReid #Jazz #Music