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THE JW VIBE
Music That Sticks To My Soul
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PAUL KAHN, Willingness
Infused with a swirl of jazz whimsy blended with ambient spaciousness and heartfelt intent, veteran singer-songwriter Paul Kahn transforms a lifetime of lived experience into a warm, roots-infused collection that blends elements of jazz, Americana, blues and folk into a multi-hued, deeply personal statement. Produced by Catherine Russell, whose musical sensibility and collaborative presence are felt throughout, the album – a follow up to the 2024 re-release of his sole 1999 c
Jonathan Widran
Apr 16


MARIE-PAULE FRANKE, Through the Cracks the Light Is Born
On Through the Cracks the Light Is Born , vocalist and composer Marie-Paule Franke offers a deeply expressive and thoughtfully crafted collection that bridges jazz, folk and poetic singer-songwriter traditions. Backed by a finely attuned New York-based quartet featuring saxophonist Amir Mankovski, pianist Dongfeng Liu, double bassist Marcos Varela and drummer Matthias Künzli, Franke presents seven heartfelt original songs that unfold with emotional nuance, lyrical depth, gen
Jonathan Widran
Apr 16


TOMAS JANZON, Jazz Diary
Guitarist and composer Tomas Janzon’s Jazz Diary is a compelling reflection of a creative process rooted in spontaneity, discipline and quiet observation. Drawn from handwritten musical fragments developed over time – intriguingly, often at between 3 and 4 a.m. - the 11 track album of thoughtfully tuneful, richly soulful and rhythmically diverse compositions unfolds as a series of intimate yet exploratory trio performances featuring bassist Nedra Wheeler and drummers Tony A
Jonathan Widran
Apr 16


DAPHNE PARKER POWELL, The Death of Cool
Can cool actually die? Before diving into the richly layered, stylistically fluid terrain of The Death of Cool , it’s worth noting that Daphne Parker Powell isn’t simply introducing a new collection of songs—she’s delivering a statement shaped by resilience, introspection and a fearless willingness to strip away illusion. Creating and recording while undergoing treatment for breast cancer, the New Orleans-based singer/songwriter channels not hardship, but clarity and hard-won
Jonathan Widran
Apr 14


GALAN TRIO, Kinesis, Volume 3
When an ensemble builds an ongoing series around a single conceptual thread, their challenge with each subsequent recording is not simply to sustain that initial vision, but to deepen and develop it, allowing it to evolve in ways that feel organic rather than repetitive. With Kinesis, Volume 3 , the Athens-based Galan Trio does exactly that, expanding their ambitious exploration of “motion” into new sonic territories while preserving the restless, ever-shifting spirit that ha
Jonathan Widran
Apr 11


ABBY FISHER, Continuous Interior
In an era where so much music competes for immediate attention through density, melody or rhythmic insistence, Abby Fisher’s Continuous Interior offers something far more subtle—and ultimately more transformative. It is an album that doesn’t demand engagement so much as it quietly insists upon it, inviting those who partake in its unfolding artistry into an intricately constructed sonic environment where time stretches, perception shifts and the act of listening itself becom
Jonathan Widran
Apr 11


BONNIE WHITING, Through the Eye(s)
There are artistic collaborations that cross stylistic and cultural boundaries—and then there are those rare, profoundly resonant works that dissolve boundaries altogether, reshaping not only how art is created, but who is invited into the creative process and whose voices are ultimately unleashed and heard. Through the Eye(s), the deeply moving and conceptually innovative project led by speaking percussionist Bonnie Whiting in collaboration with incarcerated writers and com
Jonathan Widran
Apr 11


LISSA COFFEY & DAVID VITO GREGOLI featuring WINDY WAGNER, “Portrait Mode”
In an anxious time where so much of our energy is spent chasing meaning, validation and happiness somewhere beyond ourselves, the illuminating new single “Portrait Mode” offers a graceful, deeply resonant reminder to turn the lens inward. A vibrant, intricately rendered collaboration between multi-instrumentalist and acclaimed “sound painter” David Vito Gregoli and lyricist Lissa Coffey—featuring a luminous lead vocal by Windy Wagner—unfolds as a soulful, mid-tempo pop/rock m
Jonathan Widran
Apr 9


GINA LENEÉ, Bloom
As she invites listeners to journey from the shadowed, soul-searching depths of “Mountain” to the gently radiant, life-affirming glow of “The Joy in You,” pianist/composer Gina Leneé has something even more immersive and transformative in mind on Bloom , a thoughtful, exquisitely expressed set of originals that marks her first album in seven years. Born of deeply felt personal challenges and the hard-won wisdom gleaned from them, she offers an intimate and spiritually resona
Jonathan Widran
Apr 9


TOM C. REED, From the Basement Pipes
While some artists present their songs—their creative children—as finished statements reflecting specific moments in their lives, Tom C. Reed approaches them as evolving ideas, living, breathing structures shaped as much by instinct, experimentation and revision as by melody and lyric. On his quirkily titled collection From the Basement Pipes , the veteran singer/songwriter continues a creative journey that’s been decades in the making, defined less by linear momentum than b
Jonathan Widran
Apr 6


JAANA NARSIPUR, The Re-Collection
There’s a fine line between nostalgia and reinterpretation, and vocalist Jaana Narsipur walks it with a clear, playfully charming swirl of whimsy, reflection and purpose on The Re-Collection . Rather than simply revisiting familiar material from the ‘80s pop canon – a formative era for her early evolving musical sensibilities – the veteran NYC/Hudson Valley vocalist reshapes it from the inside out, finding new contours on a compelling Brit-centric slate of radio chestnuts (a
Jonathan Widran
Apr 2


FAYE CAROL, Forever Dynamic
At a juncture in her extraordinary six decade career where many artists of her renown and caliber might settle into a comfortable, familiar vibe, the San Francisco legend long revered as “The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol” continues to expand her reach, bringing her commanding jazz, soul and blues steeped presence, deep musical intelligence, spirited phrasing and playful scat to Forever Dynamic , a two-disc set that feels both expansive and grounded in purpose. Rather than presenti
Jonathan Widran
Apr 2
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