Octopus is the 10th release of Millennium Jazz Orchestra, one of the finest big bands in The Netherlands. Conductor Joan Reinders writes modern compositions with influences from jazz and classical music.

This compilation of archival material captures a pivotal era in the career of jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughan, showcasing her evolving and sophisticated style. The release brings together both well-known and rare live recordings from her Mercury sessions at Mister Kelly's and London House. Additionally, the collection features studio tracks developed alongside acclaimed arrangers Hal Mooney, Quincy Jones, Ray Ellis, and Belford Hendricks, as well as collaborations with members of the Basie Band.

The WDR Big Band, featuring Rob Bruynen on flugelhorn, performs "Chrissie" by Dave Horler, a long-standing member of the WDR Big Band.

Since Michael Dease’s big band held their two-year monthly residency in Greenwich Village back in 2011, a lot has happened. That laboratory, where risk, refinement, and reflection forged the band’s artistic identity, was the seed that needed to be returned to. Today’s band, however, is not a reconstruction of that past, but a reimagining, channeling fresh vitality into the music while honoring the architectural rigor and improvisational daring that defined those earlier years. At the core is a dynamic ensemble of rising voices from Michigan State University, whose artistry and individuality bring urgency to this collection of music, featuring compositions by Dease, Gregg Hill and the classics, “Cherokee” and “Little Dave,” from Dease’s major influence, J.J. Johnson. Return Trajectory is not a direct return, but a continuation of the arc, guided by experience and propelled by the next generation.

New Herd and genius arranger and composer Masahiko Sato cooked up this spiritual work of Japanese big band magic over half a century ago but its sound still resonates today. It's a violent mix of styles that has become a cult classic with its fiery brew of alto and baritone sax, big drums and bass, wild guitars and trumpets, trombones and piano.

A new horizon pioneered by New Hard, led by Toshiyuki Miyama, one of Japan’s leading big bands. Four songs written by rare composers and arrangers such as Masahiko Sato, Hiroshi Takami, Norio Maeda, and Kozaburo Yamaki, based on classical Japanese themes such as “Mujou,” “Heian Period Prostitute,” “Soul,” and “Sumo.” With a sharp and enthusiastic performance that ranges from free jazz to jazz rock, the group carefully depicts “old Japan.” This is one of the most quintessential examples of Japanese big band jazz.

An ambitious project from leading composer & trombonist Callum Au, featuring 80+ world-class musicians in the biggest ever big band!

The FUCHSTHONE ORCHESTRA is anything but a conventional big band. Under the direction of the two musical masters Caroline Thon and Christina Fuchs and with an expanded line-up including violin, vocals and electronics, the 22 award-winning musicians represent the current state of contemporary large jazz groups. In the bandleaders' compositions, powerful tutti passages and brass sounds à la Maria Schneider alternate with moments of silence, interrupted by collective improvisations by smaller subgroups of the orchestra. The result is an impressive musical experience that makes full use of the variety of timbres and possible combinations of instruments.

Finnish jazz producer Valtteri Laurell reworks some of J Dilla’s most iconic beats into adventurous big band versions.

Glorious Assembly features many of the most outstanding jazz musicians in Britain, in fact a glorious assembly of them! In addition to saxes, trumpets, trombones and rhythm section the line-up features flute/alto flute/piccolo, a range of clarinets from Eb clarinet to contrabass clarinet, tuba, harmonicas and ukuleles.

Frames is the new album and Miho Hazama’s fourth release on Edition, reinforcing her standing as a composer and conductor of international recognition. Based in New York, Hazama has built a career defined by detailed large-ensemble writing, long-range musical thinking, and vividly articulated orchestration. Her work spans through Japan, Europe and the US, with projects for the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, the Danish Radio Big Band, and Metropole Orkest. With her BBC Proms debut confirmed for 2025, her compositional voice continues to expand in scale and authority, qualities clearly evident throughout Frames. The album returns her to close collaboration with the Danish Radio Big Band, echoing the creative relationship first established on her Edition debut Imaginary Visions (2021).

The album "Back In Business" is a testament to the maturity and absolute mastery that Travellin' Brothers have over their sound. Leveraging this experience, the band opted for self-production, recording the entire album in their own studio, "Hell-kitchen Studios," guaranteeing complete creative control over the final result.

It Takes All Kinds To Make A World" pairs critically acclaimed saxophonist and composer Frederik Lundin with the forward-thinking Odense Jazz Orchestra in an original set of intricately composed music which bridges the gap between avant-garde emotion and heavy groove. But this is much more than simply a collection of newly-commissioned big band jazz.

On Let Freedom Swing, the latest release from Blue Engine Records, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis celebrates the charismatic leaders who gave voice to the struggle for freedom. Originally recorded live during a 2004 concert, the album features six stunning, sprawling musical commissions that paint a backdrop for inspirational oratory on liberty by Vaclav Havel, Lyndon Johnson, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Desmond Tutu. Delivering these leaders’ inspirational words are modern icons including Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, Patricia Clarkson, Glenn Close, Keith David, Morgan Freeman, Mario Van Peebles, and Alfre Woodard.

Nils Berg has been a cornerstone of the Swedish jazz scene since the turn of the millennium. Known internationally as an innovative bandleader and collaborator, this release places the spotlight — for the first time — on Berg’s work as a composer for large ensemble. Paid To Cry is the result of an intensive collaboration with the Norrbotten Big Band, one of Scandinavia’s most acclaimed jazz orchestras. Drawing melodic clarity and emotional directness from composers such as Burt Bacharach and Kurt Weill, while embracing the raw courage of Björk and Sun Ra, and the pulsating minimalism of Steve Reich, the music forms a sound world that feels both familiar and entirely its own.