New In Music This Week: October 10th

Fall is fast approaching and like movies and theater, new recordings seem to be more thoughtful, introspective and rewarding. As you’ll discover when you listen to the albums that are New In Music This Week: October 10^th.

My top pick is:

JAZZ: FIGURE IN BLUE – Charles Lloyd/Jason Moran/Marvin Sewell – Blue Note Records

Heaven isn’t just the name of one of the Duke Ellington songs found on this exquisite new album from saxophonist Charles Lloyd. It aptly describes the experience of listening to the 98 minutes of music on Figure in Blue.  

Lloyd’s playing here is sublime. His writing even more so.  Lloyd is joined by pianist Moran and guitarist Sewell. They perform 14 songs on this double-album record – most of them originals by Lloyd. 

The press notes state that after performing together for a concert in Santa Barbara, Lloyd felt it was important to go into the studio with Moran and Sewell. Listening to this album one can understand why. 

You can listen to “Figure in Blue, memories of Duke” HERE.

There’s an adage that one should “keep it simple, stupid.” It is the simplicity of their playing that makes this album sublime. From quiet, introspection to blues, these three musicians explore a variety of styles of music but always maintain a grace that is remarkable.

Figure in Blue will likely end up on a lot of critic’s best of 2025 lists. 

Here are the other fine recordings that are New in Music This Week: October 10^th:

CLASSICAL: ARVO PÄRT: HYMN TO A GREAT CITY FOR 2 PIANOS – Martha Argerich/Georgijs Osokins– Deutsche Grammophon

I don’t usually include singles on this list, but aside from compilations, concert recordings and re-issues, there has been relatively little to listen to. Until today.

Admittedly, this recording with Argerich joined by pianist Osokins is only 3:15 in length. But for fans of Argerich’s, of which I am a devout one, this is great news.

I reached out to representatives for the label to see if this might indicate a new full recording from the legendary pianist, but it seems that this single is, for now, all we might have.

But I’ll take it. The playing is great, of course. I wasn’t overly familiar with Hymn to a Great City, and Martha Argerich is playing here. What else do you need to know?

CLASSICAL: PAUL BEN-HAIM: SYMPHONY NO. 2 – Lahav Shani/Israel Philharmonic Orchestra – Deutsche Grammophon

October has, in just 10 days, been good for composer Ben-Haim. Last week Capriccio released Music for violincello. It’s a fine record. But I waited for this week’s release of the Israel Philharmonic performing his second symphony.

Ben-Haim’s first symphony was composed in 1940 in Palestine. This work was finished in October 1945 just a month or so after the conclusion of World War II.

There are four movements: Molto moderato; Allegretto vivace; Andante affettuoso e languendo and Allegro deciso. At times the symphony is deceptively simple and at others it is big and saying to the world, here I am.

You can hear the second movement HERE.

Lahav Shani and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra bring great drama and life to this symphony with beautiful melancholy in the third movement.

Having been unfamiliar with this work, I found this recording to be an excellent introduction to it.

CLASSICAL: TIPPETT: PIANO CONCERTO; BRITTEN: DIVERSIONS; WALTON: SINFONIA CONCERTANTE – Clare Hammond/BBC Symphony Orchestra/George Vass – BIS

Piano concertos composed by English composers don’t get a lot of attention. With this album by pianist Hammond, I’m sure they will.

The album opens with William Walton’s Sinfonia Concertante for Orchestra and Piano obbligato. It’s a three-movement work running just under 20 minutes. 

That is followed by Benjamin Britten’s Diversions, Op. 21 for piano (left hand) and orchestra.  There is the initial theme followed by 12 variations (the tenth variation is split into two separate parts). The orchestra plays the main theme before the piano comes in for the first variation.

Yes, this work was commissioned by the same pianist, Paul Wittgenstein, who asked Maurice Ravel to write his piano concerto for the left hand.

I was most enchanted with Michael Tippett’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra. It takes the traditional concerto structure with three movements. It is the longest work on this recording and, for my money, the most special. 

Hammond’s playing is on point throughout this recording.

JAZZ: SIDES – Dave Bristow – Bristow Records

This was my first exposure to pianist/composer Dave Bristow. He apparently has a previous album, but I haven’t found it, yet. But I will.

Sides is quite obviously the work of someone who has both classical music and jazz training. All nine songs here were composed by Bristow. I found this album immediately arresting.

The core band on Sides includes Christian Altehülshorst on trumpet, Félix Hardouin on alto saxophone, Gabriel Pierre on double bass and Guillaume Prévost on drums. 

Special guests include Caloé on vocals, Katrirn-Merili Poom on vocals, Gustave Reichert on electric guitar, Tommy Scott on Fender Rhodes and Mike Stern on electric guitar.

This is a fine album made only better by the sense of discovering an artist I’m going to follow from now on.

JAZZ: MONK’D – Dayna Stephens – Contagious Music

From the title you probably know what Stephens is up to here. But if you’re expecting him to be playing saxophone, he has a surprise in store for you. He’s playing acoustic bass on this album of nine Thelonious Monk songs – all them recorded in one day.

That’s not the only surprise Stephens has in store for you. If you’re expecting Blue Monk, Monk’s Dream, ‘Round Midnight, Straight No Chaser and an album filled with greatest hits, Stephens makes other choices.

Songs such as Brake’s Sake, Just You and Me Smoking the Evidence, Stuffy Turkey and more.

You can listen to HUMPH from Monk’d HERE.

Stephens is joined by Ethan Iverson on piano, Eric McPherson on drums and tenor saxophonist Stephen Riley.

I can’t imagine what that recording session was like – it had to have been exciting. Not having been there, I’m grateful to have access to the end results. What an album!

JAZZ: REFLECTIONS ON: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF AN EX-COLORED MAN – Mark Turner – Giant Step Arts

Tenor sax musician and composer Turner has created a 10-movement musical response to James Weldon Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. The book, published in 1912, tells the story of a biracial man who, after witnessing continuing horrors against Black man in post-Reconstruction era, chooses to pass a white in order to circumvent the continuing racism. But at what price?

Turner provides narration throughout the album. Not intrusively. He is joined by Matt Brewer on acoustic and electric bass, Jason Palmer on trumpet, David Virelles on piano, profit & Organ and Nasheet Waits on drum.

He takes big swings here and they pay off magnificently. This would have been my top pick for this week had Charles Lloyd not released Figure in Blue the same day.

OPERA: GOLDEN AGE – Erin Morley/Lawrence Brownlee/Munich Radio Orchestra/Ivan Repusic – Pentatone

As on stage in operas, recordings of arias from various operas relies not just on performance, but chemistry. Soprano Morley and tenor Brownlee have plenty of chemistry. Each track is filled with exactly the right emotion and connection.

Bel canto operas are on the docket here and this includes works by Bizet, Delibes, Donizetti, Rossini and Verdi. There are some unusual choices (unusual in that they are commonly chosen operas) includes Bizet’s La jolie fille de Perth and Donizetti’s Marino Faliero. 

If bel canto is your favorite style of opera (and even if it isn’t), you won’t find a better pairing in any recent recordings. 

That’s all for New In Music: October 10th.

Enjoy your weekend! Enjoy the music!

Main Photo: Charles Lloyd (photo by D. Darr/Courtesy CharlesLloyd.com)