Anna Butterss

Featuring four of America’s most potent musicians, all performing at the top of their game, Jeff Parker’s ‘The Way Out of Easy’ might just be the best jazz album of 2024. Another win for the ever-reliable Chicago label International Anthem.

While Small Medium Large, the exploratory kosmische jazz debut from SML (Anna Butterss, Jeremiah Chiu, Josh Johnson, Booker Stardrum & Gregory Uhlmann) contains unexpected multitudes, even at its most complex moments, it remains bright and airy, reflecting an impressive and sincere unity to their playing.