What's New on WDCB... with Paul Abella

Ali Ryerson – The Ali Ryerson Quartet (ACR Music)

Flautist Ali Ryerson is back in 2026 with a new album, called simply The Ali Ryerson Quartet. Ryerson’s always been a great player, so I was excited to hear her in action again. For her latest effort, she recruited Larry Ham for piano duties, she brought in Lou Pappas to play bass, and Tom Melito’s sitting at the drums. Sure enough, Ryerson’s still a swinging flute player, and on this album, she’s playing with a sympathetic and grooving rhythm section. “Cold Snap” is right in the pocket, and with great solos on the flute and bass. Thad Jones’ “Three and One” showcases Ryerson and Pappas playing the melody together and Pappas getting some more room to stretch. There are a number of instances throughout The Ali Ryerson Quartet where Ryerson weaves one of her compositions into a classic or a standard with great effect. My favorite of these is her “Flying in Space” paired with the Steve Swallow composition “Falling Grace.” There’s the lovely Bossa Nova “Começar de Novo,” a fantastic samba, “Nada Como Ter Amor,” and much more besides. The Ali Ryerson Quartet simply jumps from strength to strength as it makes its way through its eleven tracks. I look forward to playing it for you.

David Janeway Trio – Live at Blue Llama (Steeplechase Records)

Ann Arbor’s Blue Llama has been playing host to some great Jazz acts for quite some time, so it makes sense that you’d see a solid handful of great live albums come from their stage. Pianist David Janeway’s addition to that list, David Janeway Trio Live at Blue Llama, features about as great of a rhythm section as you could ask for in Robert Hurst on the bass and Billy Hart on drums. Janeway makes the most of the opportunity, when tempos are cooking (“Forward Motion”), mid-tempo (“K’s Shuffle”) or on a ballad (“I Should Care”). These three make for a sympathetic threesome, and if Janeway were influenced by Bill Evans’ latter days with the extended intros and shifting tempos, it would make total sense to me. There are plenty of well worn standards here, like “All the Things You Are,” or “Sweet and Lovely” or “You and the Night and the Music” (and they’re all played quite nicely, by the way), but it’s also nice to see Janeway look a little deeper for material, too, like on Gary Peacock’s “Gardenia.” Hearing a rhythm section this solid and a pianist this willing to chase his muse makes for a refreshing listen that I think you’ll enjoy.

Andrew Kim – Lineage (Origin Records)

Trombonist Andrew Kim makes his debut with the album Lineage. As a trombone student at Michigan State University, he spends a lot of time around Michael Dease (on this album for two tracks playing his other instrument, the bari sax), and Dease’s thumbprints are evident on the project. One could say that MSU’s thumbprints as a whole are evident here, as Rodney Whitaker (bass), Xavier Davis (piano) and Randy Napoleon (guitar) are also featured on the album, making Lineage not just a debut album for Kim, but also a way for the torch to be passed from teacher to student, in a way, I guess. Rounding out the album are Sharel Cassity (alto sax) and Ulysses Owens, Jr on drums. Taken as a whole, this is one formidable unit. With Kim at the lead, the trombone is obviously in the driver’s seat, evident in both material (JJ Johnson’s “Cube Steak” and Curtis Fuller’s “Bit of Heaven” both make appearances here). Rodney Whitaker and Xavier Davis each contribute pieces to the record, with “The World Falls Away” and “Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego,” respectively. Throw in the standard “Stella by Starlight” and the rest are all Kim’s compositions. “Kimposter” might start off funky, but it lands in a hard swinging groove pretty quickly. “Nostos” features a pretty melody over a Afro-Cuban influenced six against four styled groove. “Welcome Home” is a lovely ballad, and “Awaken” sounds like it could have been written by any number of 80’s or 90’s “young lions” (which is no slight, I’m glad to hear the influence of that era on today’s Jazz musicians). All in all, Lineage is an impressive statement of purpose. If this is indicative of what’s to come, Andrew Kim’s got a very promising career ahead of him.