Eurojazzist: My Favorite European Jazz Albums of 2026 (So Far)
A midyear listening cut
As is usually the case with selections like this, it’s important to start with a disclaimer: this does not pretend to be a list of the “best” jazz (and jazz-related) albums released by European musicians in the first six months of 2026. Such a list would only be possible if I were able to listen to some 1,000 or more albums released by jazz musicians across all European jazz scenes.
Instead, albums reach me through highly random channels: I follow a number of labels that match my taste, as well as the social media channels of my favorite musicians; those I haven’t yet encountered, along with their labels, send me emails; PR agents and publicists get in touch, and I’ve been on some mailing lists for quite a while; I see what my friends share on Facebook, or what someone recommends on Substack. Sometimes I hear a great concert at a festival, and then I go looking for the album. And so on.
So, although the jazz I listen to is the result of genuine dedication and love for the music, I cannot by any means claim that my selection is objective. The list will naturally include a few musicians from Serbia, but at the same time I haven’t explored production from, say, the Baltic countries, as I still lack good contacts there and a steady flow of information. Of course, I’m more likely to hear about albums released on ECM Records or ACT Music than those put out by a small independent label from Greece, Slovakia, or Belgium.
Even if I managed to listen to everything, there would still be the question of “criteria” when evaluating a scene full of outstanding, technically superb musicians. Since everyone plays brilliantly anyway, we’re left assessing “creativity,” which by its very nature brings us into the realm of personal preferences, experience, mood, and who knows what else.
And now, let’s get to the point. We all love lists. As the first six months of 2026 have passed, it feels like a good moment for a first recap. The selected 25 albums are listed alphabetically, without suggesting that any is “better” than another. These are simply the albums I’ve listened to the most, in line with my affinities and mood—in other words, the ones that have sparked the most exciting emotional and intellectual responses in me.
But before that, a few albums from 2025.
As often happens, when a new year begins you realize how much you’ve missed; some excellent releases from the previous year surface that you didn’t manage to register at the time.
Macedonian PMG Jazz released the excellent album “Inward” by violinist Gligor Kondovski and trombonist Vladan Drobicki, which reminded me of certain Punkt Editions productions associated with Jan Bang and Erik Honoré. Slovenia’s Rok Zalokar Zhlehtet released “Pieces for Collective Change” for Jazz Cerkno Records, bringing a breath of fresh air into contemporary spiritual jazz. I’ve been fond of the Finnish band Uusi Aika since their self-titled debut, and in 2025 they released the album Luurankolauluja for Puro Recordings.
Hungary’s BMC had two excellent releases: Ensemble Ensemble – Live at Atelier du Plateau, as well as “Simple Fall” by the duo Vincent Courtois & Collin Vallon. AVA Trio released the album LUNÆ, which I recently discussed with the band’s double bassist Esat Erkincioglu. I also paid special attention to Sun Mi Hong, who released the excellent album “Fourth Page: Meaning of a Nest” for Edition Records (read the interview with her here), as well as trumpeter Richard Koch, who impressed me at jazzahead! with his project “Rays of Light”.
My Favorite European Jazz Albums of 2026
Andras Des - Decisions We Make (BMC Records)
„Broadly speaking, this is a contemporary jazz album. What I find particularly interesting is that even after three or four listens, I still haven’t fully retained specific tracks or themes—I don’t get that immediate “aha, this is my favorite tune” or “that was an amazing solo” moment. And yet, I keep coming back to it. It feels more like a complex novel—with an introduction, development, multiple narrative strands, and an epilogue—than a collection of short stories, if we were to draw a comparison with literature. Or, in Netflix terms, this is a slow burn album. With a bit of patience, it reveals music that is emotionally accessible, yet layered and dramaturgically engaging“
Extract from: Eurojazzist Randomizer #9: Listening Around Jazz
Angelika Niescier - Chicago Tapes (Intakt Records)
„Angelika Niescier is a saxophonist whose work I’ve been following for a long time, and this time she has a new album Chicago Tapes for Intakt Records featuring some of my favorite Chicago musicians (Jason Adasiewicz, Dave Rempis, Nicole Mitchell, Mike Reed, Luke Stewart). At first listen – very furious and explosive!“
Extract from: Eurojazzist Randomizer #2: The Reference Trap
Björn Meyer – Convergence (ECM Records)
„Meyer does not emphasize the expanded range (of his six-string bass) for its own sake; rather, he plays in what might be described as a universal guitar idiom. The bass tones lend warmth and a distinct sensibility to his music, but the essential values of the compositions are universal. In the album’s strongest moments, one could almost imagine listening to études from a classical guitar method book.“
Extract from: Björn Meyer – Convergence (ECM Records)
Clément Janinet | Arve Henriksen | Ambre Vuillermoz | Robert Lucaciu - Garden of Silences (BMC Records)
„…Clément Janinet excels in blending all these ingredients (jazz structure, composition, arrangements). Yes, there are „jazz moments“, composed sections, beautiful melodies, and delicate improvisations, but at no point can I clearly separate them while listening. From the very first bars of the compositions, there is a sense of “flowing over” and an imperceptible interweaving of these ideas and elements“.
Extract from: Clément Janinet | Arve Henriksen | Ambre Vuillermoz | Robert Lucaciu - Garden of Silences (BMC Records)
Daniel Erdmann’s Thérapie de Couple - I Wanna Hold Your Hand, François (BMC Records)
„Does this combination—on the one hand complex, on the other deeply emotional music—consciously evoke the intricate relationships of couples in therapy, as the album title suggests? A situation that is anything but black and white, instead winding through a web of emotions, thoughts, relationships, passions, and intellectual clashes? If Erdmann intended to convey this complexity—human, historical, and beyond—through the music on this album, he has, at least for me, completely succeeded.“
Extract from: Daniel Erdmann’s Thérapie de Couple - I Wanna Hold Your Hand, François (BMC Records)
Evi Filippou and Robert Lucaciu - Love at Last Sight (BMC Records)
„Our preparation is to learn the scores and tunes as good as possible and then rediscover them at every gig. Robert always says let the song play, you don’t play the song. And I think that is a lot our approach. There’s a lot of talking about life and art, we listen to a lot of music together, we talk about it, we dream together, we practice sometimes things we will never perform and somehow this is our process.“
Extract from: Evi Filippou: Exploring the Unknown
Freysteinn - Thoughts (Protomaterial)
„…There was a guitar in the foreground, acting as the lead solo instrument, which I really liked. I had no idea who was playing, but I simply let myself go with it. It felt like it wasn’t a “typical jazz guitar,” but rather something with a nice balance between melody and something a bit edgy in a New York Downtown way; the same could be said for the album Thoughts as a whole, which sits comfortably within a “modern creative” vocabulary while allowing for occasional departures off the rails“.
Extract from: Eurojazzist Randomizer #13: Freysteinn | Jeff Parker | Tamara Obrovac | HAEZZ | Into the Strings
I’m Not Done Cooking – Tome 1: Beauty and the Queen (Mokuhi Sonorities)
„The octet I’m Not Done Cooking, led by French pianist Lara Humbert, who lives and works in Brussels, is a wonderful example of eclectic music that approaches each of its (possible) genre labels with love, respect, and genuine authorial enthusiasm. The promotional materials mention “elements of pop, classical music, and experimental jazz” as key references, which certainly makes sense—but only as a starting point for exploring the layered and imaginative musical journey offered by this cleverly named octet.“
Extract from: I’m Not Done Cooking – Tome 1: Beauty and the Queen (Mokuhi Sonorities)
Jasmine Myra - Where Light Settles (Gondwana Records)
“Gondwana Records is known for highly melodic releases that carry something of what we call “spiritual jazz,” or simply the warmth and gentleness of indie pop. Myra fits that sensibility well and captivates with the beauty of her core themes and compositions, without unnecessary virtuosity display.”
Extract from: Eurojazzist Randomizer #16: Jasmine Myra | Toša | Red Largo | Tord Gustavsen & Trygve Seim | Punkt Festival
Jasna Jovićević Quinary – Simple Joy (33 Jazz Records)
„If her previous albums drew their strength from a specific fusion of two spiritual worlds—the Euro-American and the Indian—this time the emotional charge and the arranging context of the music are grounded in local tradition and in the encounter of the Balkans, Europe (in a broader sense), and America.“
Extract from: Jasna Jovićević Quinary – Simple Joy (33 Jazz Records)
Joel Lyssarides - Late on Earth (ACT Music)
“His music has been catching my attention for a while now. Lyssarides is a highly virtuosic pianist, which always carries the risk that albums turn into demonstrations of technical superiority. Still, I don’t think he has crossed that line; the compositions and arrangements sound beautiful and coherent—making for a solid mainstream piano trio experience.”
Extract from: Eurojazzist Randomizer #7: Listening Recap and Beyond
Jordan Smart - Above The Street (Atlas Forge Records)
„This is a saxophonist I’ve heard in Vega Trails, Mammal Hands, and Sunda Arc—I like all those bands, and each of them has its own distinct identity. Smart is not a showy saxophonist; he adapts well to the musical context while also bringing his own signature through melodic lines. In this solo setting, the natural associations lean toward minimalistic/ambient/electronic jazz, where Smart once again finds his footing in his introspective musical language.“
Julia Hülsmann Octet – While I Was Away (ECM Records)
„There are several aspects of this synthesis that I find particularly compelling: the way the aesthetic of the classic jazz trio fluidly intertwines with the strings; vocals that transcend genres and do not push jazz virtuosity to the forefront, yet enrich with exciting interpretations those pieces dominated by a pop sensibility.“
Extract from: Julia Hülsmann Octet – While I Was Away (ECM Records)
Kiri Ra! – nen (We Jazz Records)
„Kiri Ra! implicitly invite us to slow down and enter the right state of mind—one that allows us to fully experience every sound, every micro-interaction between the musicians; the subtle building and release of dynamics; the shaping of solos through a kind of musical conversation among friends.“
Extract from: Kiri Ra! – nen (We Jazz Records)
Mammal Hands - Circadia (ACT Music)
„The British band Mammal Hands has been on my radar for a while, and I’ve recently started listening more closely to their previous album Gift from the Trees. Their career so far has been mostly tied to Gondwana Records, where their blend of contemporary jazz and modern piano composition fits perfectly; now, for the first time, they’re releasing an album Circadia with ACT Music.“
Extract from: Eurojazzist Randomizer #2: The Reference Trap
Mariam Wallentin & Vestnorsk Jazzensemble - Spring Flood (Hubro Music)
„It both resembles and differs from Fire! Orchestra. Mariam’s vocal is, of course, unmistakable; the music transcends the boundaries of richly orchestrated jazz and (alternative) pop and rock, yet the authorial sensibility is somewhat different—which is perfectly natural and fine. After a few listens, I’m certain I’ll keep returning to this album.“
Metropole Orkest - Arakatak (V2 Records)
„Conducted by one of the orchestra’s regular guest conductors, composer and arranger Miho Hazama, the album also features compositions by Vince Mendoza, Donny McCaslin, Tineke Postma, Mark Guiliana, Shai Maestro, and Louis Cole. Although big bands are not regularly on my playlist, this time I decided to break my listening routine—and I did not regret it.“
Extract from: Eurojazzist Randomizer #5: When a Jazz Critic Gets It Wrong
Palle Mikkelborg – Light (Loveland Music)
„Although our first instinct might be to label this format as “experimental,” or more mildly “atmospheric,” it contains something deeper and more fundamental—something closer to human emotional experience than to an intellectual one“.
Extract from: Palle Mikkelborg – Light (Loveland Music)
Red Largo - Hotel Neuf (Madame Vega's Boudoir)
“Red Largo, an international lineup based in Berlin, with their latest record “Hotel Neuf” takes me back to the first decade of the 21st century, when I was deeply into Gutbucket and Electric Masada, AlasNoAxis, Hilmar Jensson, Trevor Dunn’s Trio Convulsant, Zu, and so on. The quartet (…) moves at the intersection of melodic indie, post-rock, and contemporary jazz. It may lean even more toward “alternative” culture, but who cares. It’s great (mostly) instrumental music that I warmly recommend.”
Extract from: Eurojazzist Randomizer #16: Jasmine Myra | Toša | Red Largo | Tord Gustavsen & Trygve Seim | Punkt Festival
Shake Stew – TEN ONE TWO (Traumton Records)
„The focus is on collective playing and fine-grained nuance in arrangements and solos. Within songs that have a clear direction, many interesting things happen on a micro level—from raising and lowering dynamics, to subtle interactions between the horn section and the rhythm section, and ultimately simply good improvisations.“
Extract from: Shake Stew – TEN ONE TWO (Traumton Records)
Nils Wohlrabe / Karin Johansson / Hasse Westling - Sonic Waves (Outerdisk)
„The title reflects the content: sonic structures that depart from conventional jazz logic and venture into the realm of free improvisation, with a strong focus on instrumental texture. Although I’ve listened to many similar albums of varying quality, something here immediately clicked and appealed to me“.
Szilárd Mezei Octet – Only in Movies (FMR Records)
„His compositions are highly elaborate, sometimes maze-like, yet also full of spirit, wit, and a sense of creation that radiates intelligence and thoughtful design. In that sense, Szilárd Mezei is something of an old-school intellectual… My impression while listening to the current album Only in Movies is that it represents a synthesis of the very best this musician has to offer.“
Extract from: Szilárd Mezei Octet – Only in Movies (FMR Records)
Tamara Obrovac & Transhistria Ensemble – Misečina Bila /White Moonlight (Cantus)
“This is jazz infused with elements of Istrian and Mediterranean folk music, with vocals at the forefront, supported by top-tier, fluid, melodic playing from the band: Uroš Rakovec (guitar, mandola), Fausto Beccalossi (accordion), Žiga Golob (double bass), and Krunoslav Levačić (drums). While all are outstanding individual musicians, what impresses most is how they breathe as one and move within a shared musical idea, placing the songs themselves on a pedestal.”
Extract from: Eurojazzist Randomizer #13: Freysteinn | Jeff Parker | Tamara Obrovac | HAEZZ | Into the Strings
Toša - Opatrně (Carefully) (Ma Records)
“The focus is on beautiful melodies, but within them you also find small “fractures” or slightly dissonant nuances: sometimes a scraping of the bow, or the sound of air escaping through the saxophone, or something along those lines. It’s clear these are musicians who are also comfortable in free music contexts, and that “nerve” surfaces within this small, intimate, home-like music.”
Extract from: Eurojazzist Randomizer #16: Jasmine Myra | Toša | Red Largo | Tord Gustavsen & Trygve Seim | Punkt Festival
Vojta Drnek - Lost Wisdom (Ma Records)
„Drnek’s meditative pieces thus take on a kind of psychedelic quality, almost as if we’ve stepped into a dream world—or somewhere between waking and dreaming. I liked the album, and I’ll be glad if I get the chance to see him perform live somewhere in Europe“.
Extract from: Eurojazzist Randomizer 12: Talking Head(s)
There is a lot here I need to check out! Thank you for putting this together
Way too much for me to process… and I’ll give a bunch of these a listen.