Jazz spring picks to watch
Jazz Journal flagged notable new spring releases including projects from Noa Levy & Paul Edis, Mark Lockheart and Brian Molley — these are being highlighted as important spring listening for jazz collectors and fans [].
Portrait in Evans is due March 20, 2026 via Dot Time [Records dottimerecords.bandcamp.com]. The project reimagines Bill Evans material with newly written lyrics and vocal arrangements, and will be launched in London at PizzaExpress Soho on April 30, 2026 as part of a short European tour that includes dates in Germany, Switzerland, Spain and the UK. [theglasshouseicm.org] Mark Lockheart’s Shapeshifter is a chordless, freely roaming trio set with Huw V Williams (double bass) and Jay Davis (drums), a lineup announced alongside the release this spring. [ukjazznews.com] Shapeshifter has already attracted strong press: UKVibe awarded the album 5/5 in a review highlighting its exploratory, distinctly British contemporary-jazz sound, and the release is available on Subtone in LP and CD formats. [ukvibe.org] Brian Molley’s Tùs/Origin is released 20 March 2026 and is presented as a nine-part suite that explicitly references Frederick Douglass, the Trail of Tears and Scottish folk forms while blending Afro‑Caribbean, gospel and jig elements. [brianmolley.bandcamp.com] Molley’s quartet will tour the record across Scotland in spring, with announced stops in Aberdeen, Dores, Inverness, Stornoway, Lyth and Edinburgh, and Tùs/Origin is listed on both the artist’s site and Bandcamp. [brianmolley.co.uk]
