KELSEY MINES, Everything Sacred, Nothing Serious (OA2 Records, 2025). Everything Sacred, Nothing Serious is a warmly buoyant outing from bassist and bandleader Kelsey Mines, a musician who understands the power of restraint every bit as much as the joy of exuberance. Rather than centering the album around dazzling bass heroics, Mines takes the subtler—and ultimately more satisfying—approach of anchoring the music with solid, unhurried grooves. Her playing forms a steady gravitational center, giving the ensemble the freedom to explore without ever losing cohesion.

What’s immediately striking is the jovial spirit that threads its way through the entire record. Even in its quieter moments, the album carries a sense of uplift, as though the band is smiling through the music. This is not frivolity but an embrace of jazz’s capacity for play, conversation, and shared delight. Mines’ compositions create generous spaces where personalities can shine, and the band responds with sensitivity and verve.

Among the standout voices is Elsa Nilsson, whose flute lines float, dart, and dance with effortless energy. She brings a luminous melodic clarity that often becomes the emotional spark of a tune. Pianist John Hansen offers a complementary presence—earthy, harmonically rich, and rhythmically alive. His solos tumble forward with an inviting looseness, always grounded yet full of surprise. Guitarist Danilo Silva adds another dimension, weaving warm-toned phrases that balance lyricism with subtle bite.

What truly elevates the album, though, is the chemistry among the musicians. They listen deeply, finish each other’s thoughts, and leave room for the music to breathe. Whether navigating a swinging theme or settling into a relaxed groove, the band moves with a shared intuition that makes every track feel both intentional and spontaneous.

In the end, Everything Sacred, Nothing Serious succeeds because it captures the joy of a group of musicians who trust one another completely. It’s memorable, spirited, and quietly profound—a celebration of jazz at its most human.

JAKOB DREYER, Roots and Things (Fresh Sound, New Talent, 2025). Roots and Things, the new album from bassist Jakob Dreyer, is a vibrant blend of hard-bop tradition and modern clarity. Dreyer draws deeply from the rhythmic and melodic language of classic jazz, yet the recording never feels retro for its own sake. Instead, the music arrives with a crisp, contemporary sheen—proof that the hard-bop spirit still evolves in capable hands.

At the center is Dreyer’s steady, shape-shifting groove, which flows confidently even over shifting meters and layered rhythmic ideas. He plays with a refreshing sense of purpose, giving his bass as much or as little space as the moment calls for. This musical humility allows the band to flourish.

Tenor saxophonist Tivon Pennicott delivers beautifully sculpted, melodic lines that feel both rooted and exploratory. His tone carries a warmth reminiscent of earlier eras, yet his phrasing remains unmistakably modern. Sasha Berliner’s vibraphone adds shimmering harmonic color, her solos unfolding with lyrical precision. Together, they form a frontline that sings.

Drummer Kenneth Salters provides grooves that feel genuinely fun to play over—loose yet intentional, driving yet flexible. His touch gives the music both propulsion and ease.

Ultimately, Roots and Things succeeds as a bridge between past and future, honoring the foundations of jazz while pointing toward where the music can still go.

TORTOISE, Touch (International Anthem Recording Co., 2025). By the sound of things, Chicago post-rockers Tortoise appear to have found their way forward by looking back. Touch had pulled elements from past albums like Millions Now Living Will Never Die, TNT, Standards, and It’s All Around You to create something new and exciting.

The album is a smooth and steady collection of mid-tempo grooves established mostly by drummer John McEntire and lush keyboard-driven soundscapes. This sets an excellent foundation for the rest of the music.

The guitars, particularly that of Jeff Parker, bring forth Duane Eddy meets spaghetti western lead lines. The rhythm guitar, meanwhile, offers crunchy background support. This proves to be an interesting juxtaposition to what’s going on up front, as it were. A most interesting six-string clash.

Touch’s compositions — like nearly all of Tortoise’s other material — is more about experience than definition. The pieces get where they’re going in due time, with no need to rush to a musical point. This music is a journey, as opposed to a destination. All the elements add up to the best effort this band has released in quite some time.

BENT KNEE, Shiny Eyed Babies 10th Anniversary Edition (Take This To Heart Records, 2025). For Boston-based avant-poppers Bent Knee, Shiny Eyed Babies is where the worm turned. The uber-talented sextet that came together at the Berklee College of Music used top-tier chops and supreme songwriting to create its first landmark album, which was released in 2014.

Now, to celebrate the album’s success tenth anniversary, band guitarist and production designer Vince Welch has revisited the Babies tracks to give them the remixing and remastering treatment. The results are nothing short of astounding!

Welch found a way to extract sonic details not present in the original release. Lead vocalist/keyboardist Courtney Swain has one of the best voices in music today. So, imagine the joy of being able to hear that voice with even more clarity and tone. When layered with the background vocals of bassist Jessica Kion, it’s enough to bring tears to the eyes.

The guitars of Ben Levin shine with more quality and are spread further across the sound spectrum. Drummer Gavin Wallace-Ailsworth’s kit has even more thump and crack, and there was plenty there to begin with! And while it can be difficult to bring a violin through a heavy sound like Bent Knee’s, Chris Baum efforts pop right through.

Those in the know will understand when it’s said that Welch gave a legendary album the Steven Wilson treatment, said without a trace of hyperbole. This is an essential piece to any music collection. Even if you already have it!

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