We’re halfway through 2026, and so far, we have seen some truly impressive jazz albums. Phillip Golub, Caroline Davis, Adam Schatz, Bill Orcutt, and Adam O’Farrill are just a few of the artists who have released stellar, forward-thinking jazz records this year, with many more on the way. Alden Hellmuth can be confidently added to that ever-growing list, as her new record mixes traditional jazz combo bop with traces of modern experimentalism.
Tether is the saxophonist’s second album, following her acclaimed 2024 release, Good Intentions, which she described on her Bandcamp page as “an exploration of dissonance in the absence of resolution and the intentions which guide us”. The record received wide praise for the Connecticut native and graduate of the esteemed Hartt School at the University of Hartford.
On Tether, she continues exploring the intensity of the jazz combo format, deftly mixing composition and improvisation alongside Logan Kane and Miller Wrenn (both taking on bass duties, plucked and bowed), Justin Brown (drums), with additional performances from Paul Cornish on piano, Sharada Shashidhar on voice and effects, Yakiv Tsvietinskyi on trumpet, and Caleb Buchanan on guitar and effects.
A crucial component of Tether, however, is the presence of haana lee, who’s credited with sound design, effects, and processing. These aspects of the album’s sound allow it to stand out from other contemporary jazz releases without being intrusive or overly anachronistic. The sonic embellishments give the songs a subtle, indescribable sense of mystery and otherworldliness, weaving in and out of the hard-bop opener, “Microfictions”, and providing sympathetic squalls of atonality in the occasionally unhinged “Fake(rs)” as the soloing instruments weave in and out and Cornish revels in some wild Cecil Taylor-style free jazz runs.
There is also a measured elegance to songs like “Guesswork”, as Hellmuth’s saxophone and Tsvietinskyi’s trumpet create interlocking melodies in front of a simmering rhythm section. The track also features one bass soloing over another, solving the problem of bass solos sometimes feeling overly unmoored without a low-end bed to support it. The soloing by all band members is nothing short of astonishing; like Mary Halvorson, Hellmuth is a bandleader who believes in a true band dynamic, allowing all players to shine equally.
Brown, for instance, positively soars on the drums with the intricate funkiness of “Definitely Not Friends”, laying down some sinewy rhythms for his bandmates to work with. He also provides some raucous post-punk fury in the closing track, “Face the Wall”, beginning with a screaming count-off into an abrasive, spiky sonic arrangement that seems more attuned to the rebellious, kiss-off nature of rock than any of the preceding songs. The band all fall in line, locking into the rigid beat and providing appropriately intense support.
There’s plenty here for more died-in-the-wool jazz fans to chew on here, as “Satellite”, a John Coltrane composition and the record’s one cover song, provides a slightly askew take on the original composition (with lee’s sound design lightly hovering over it). Hellmuth does the lion’s share of the soloing on this track, and it’s a breathless, jaw-dropping example of her restless and imaginative playing.
Tether is, in many ways, a direct tribute to the jazz titans of the past several decades, underscoring the urgency and expressiveness of small ensemble composition and improvisation. Alden Hellmuth is both blazing trails and paying tribute to the past, resulting in what may very well be the finest jazz album of the year so far.