If your tastes veer toward library-type psychedelic funk, the kind laced with exotic tones from Chinese moon guitar, bamboo flutes, and electric sitar, then JJ Whitefield’s latest will quietly floor you. Written, arranged, performed, and produced by Whitefield (with Gonçalo Mortágua’s flute on ‘Triptychon’), it’s a masterclass in sonic alchemy: smooth textures, complex experimentation, and deep grooves woven into one hypnotic flow. Press play on the album, and if you want to grab the limited edition vinyl, you can pick it up here, move fast, though – those copies won’t hang around for long.

Swedish trumpeter Goran Kajfeš and the Subtropic Arkestra drop the second instalment of their Bandcamp‑only 10″ series, this time teaming up with Amanda Werne (Slowgold) for a three‑track set on We Jazz Records. They dive straight in: the Ethio‑tinged ‘Urhavet’ drifts like late‑summer Scandinavian skies, followed by a gorgeous Swedish reading of Lô Borges’ ‘Tudo O Que Você Podia Ser’. The instrumental closer, ‘Vida Antigua/Vida Elektrika’, folds another Brazilian gem into Kajfeš’ electronic wanderings with memorable ease.

Polygonia and Simon Popp have joined forces again for Apiformes, a new album that brings the two Munich-based artists together for the second time as a duo. The album arrives on November 6th via Squama Recordings. Born from pure improvisation, Apiformes stitches together stems from four concerts into a single, shape‑shifting organism. Live recordings, integrated effects and rapid decisions blur the lines between players, creating a vibrant buzz where jazz and electronics twist together in real time. The lead track, ‘Honeydrop’, cuts in with taut, sparing synth lines and a driving percussive rhythm while Polygonia’s delicate cantillation flickers through the mix. Take a listen now.

Pianist Elias Stemeseder and bassist Thomas Morgan make a stunning Squama debut with Io Pur Respiro. Recorded live at Sala Vanni in Florence, the album captures a duo operating with total clarity, melody, space and balance held in perfect tension. It’s a quiet marvel, two players breathing in the same direction and letting the spacious, sacral hall of Sala Vanni shape the music. The top track, ‘Subject Carved from Words Uttered‘, is a 10-minute atmospheric jazz masterpiece. Also try the quietly aching ballad, ‘Love Came‘, originally written by Billy Strayhorn in the ’30s. A truly lovely listen.

Following the release of 2022’s Haiku and their 2020 self-titled debut, Lima-based band Oriente Trío returns with their highly anticipated third album, Canto. Consisting of Joaquín Mariátegui, Jerónimo Morán, and Juan Francisco Chávez Cosamalón, the trio continues to explore Peruvian tropical music. Drawing inspiration from iconic bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s, such as Los Destellos, Juaneco y su Combo, and Los Mirlos, the trio reinterprets this music through a jazz-influenced lens. The trio plays with real grace across the whole record. ‘La Elfa Del Hueveo‘ and ‘Kuyen‘ float in with a relaxed, lightly grooving feel, while ‘Cumbión Del Fin‘ kicks things up with a sharper, more driving rhythm. ‘El Kilo‘ is a highlight, revealing the trio’s broad, shape‑shifting approach to melody and texture. A refreshingly different release that pulls you in from the first moment.