A Wind For All Seasons

There is something positively elemental in the artistry of Martin Wind. Beyond being one of the music's premier bassists, he is a creatively driven composer and leader—a seemingly bottomless font of expression in action—and his work most certainly represents the breadth, and breath, carried in his name. One minute he's conjuring a Brazilian Nordeste with buoyant allure, the next he's evoking a warm and enveloping zephyr with his woody tones. His fertile imagination draws out föhns, sondos, mistrals, kogorashis, siroccos, dreichs, boras and countless other manners of flowing expression. He is a Wind for all seasons, as powerful and real as the air that surrounds us, and that's made abundantly clear through these two early 2026 offerings

Martin Wind
Stars
Newvelle Records
2026

Over the past decade, Newvelle Records has established itself as a tastemaker imprint with an eye (and ear) on fidelity from every sonic and expressive angle. Newvelle Ten is but the latest collection demonstrating the label's sky-high standards. Boasting staggered releases from the likes of trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, saxophonist Loren Stillman, bassist Skuli Sverrisson, and pianist (and label co-founder) Elan Mehler, it comes with great expectations. And if Wind's Stars—the first release in the set, preceding those others in arriving at the tail end of January—is any indication, it will likely live up to or surpass the hopes and hype.

While this title can certainly be seen as a reference to the slate of incandescent offerings across these two sides, and, specifically, a titular pull from the Frank Perkins/Mitchell Parish-penned album closer, it also can't help but nod to the personnel. Wind assembled a top-shelf quartet for the session. Two close friends and notables—clarinetist Anat Cohen and drummer Matt Wilson—make for perfect complements and collaborators. And the presence of the august Kenny Barron on piano ups the ante. Together, these four inhabit and form constellations.

Opening on bassist Aaron Bell's "Passing Thoughts," the quartet moves from simplicity to swing. Capacious cycles serve as bookends, the heart of the work demonstrates the tremendous rhythmic hook-up between Wind and Wilson, and the solo splendors from Cohen and Barron are each a joy to behold. The leader's "Life" follows, with an evolving arc to mirror its name. Both stasis and uncertainty briefly set the scene, but clear development is right around the bend; a skipping ride supports a clarinet in mid-relief expression, with straight time waiting in the wings. Amid "Life"'s promising developments, it's the exquisitely deep and detailed conversation between reedist and pianist that prove most meaningful.

Turning toward the music of Duke Ellington, the band delights with "Black Butterfly." Cohen's clarinet transports the listener to a bygone era; Wind steps forward with a pizzicato solo that sings as it swings; and it's maestro on maestro with Barron exhibiting a Duke-ish demeanor. Further on—on the flip side—the quartet delivers a second helping of Ellingtonian expression(s) with the inclusion of "The Feeling of Jazz." Opening with 70-plus seconds of a soulful Wind, it further illustrates a strong rapport between Cohen and Barron.

Wind's "Moody" offers something completely different—slow, semi-weighted, rubato, with a painterly approach and dynamic. It's sfumato soundcraft with slants in intensity. Bud Powell's "Wail" also occupies a separate space, presenting bass and clarinet in a bop-and-bound unison, giving Barron his due, and freeing Wilson to work his magic over Wind's walk.

Jumping past the second Ellington offering and wrapping things up, there's a stop off in Brazil, a reflection on departure, and a look at heavenly bodies over the Yellowhammer State. "Pra Dizer a Deus," the first in that stretch, proves spellbinding. Barron delivers an enchanting intro, Wind sweeps in with arco melody, Wilson brings the bossa, and Cohen comes in with late-stage charm(s). The leader's "Standing at the Window Waving Goodbye" deals in a direct channeling of emotion. And the classic "Stars Fell on Alabama" serves as a perfect—and perfectly classy—ending. Impressive in every way, Stars is a true call from the Heavens.

Martin Wind
September
Laika Records
2026

September serves as a continuation in a long and inventive line of Wind releases on the Laika label. The Bremen-based imprint has been home to numerous projects from the bassist: a showcase for his New York Bass Quartet; a meeting with the JazzBaltica Jubilee Ensemble; co-led sessions with guitarist (and fellow Flensburg, Germany native) Ulf Meyer; summits with American heavies and European bigwigs (respectively, usually); and, pertinent to this piece, statements from his forward-thinking Gravity trio, with tenor saxophonist Peter Weniger and drummer Jonas Burgwinkel.

These three musicians made waves with a self-titled debut in 2023, and now they're back with an equally absorbing follow-up. As Wind shares in his liner notes, on the morning of the first recordings session—September 26, 2025—he received news of the great Jim McNeely's passing. The pianist and composer served as mentor and colleague to Wind (and so many others in the jazz community), and his influence, though not overt, looms large in the interior of this music.

The center of Gravity pulls left with the no-net nature of the ensemble (sans chordal solidity) taking matters a step beyond or outside. Weniger's "Dance with the Wind" delivers that message with shifting air. Yes, it grooves with its sly straight-eighth feel. But it proves mercurial in harnessing and directing forces of nature. Following that opener, Wind's writing takes center stage. His "Late Summer Lullaby" plays on liminal moods and seasons; "Relay," drawing on architectural elements from Sonny Rollins' "Doxy," benefits from bantering melody and solos (and the addition of guest Scott Robinson's tenor); the wistful yet wide-eyed "September Serenade," with the second tenor voice remaining,  pays direct tribute to McNeely; and the hiply menacing, uniquely rollicking "King of the Castle," dedicated to Burgwinkel, finds the honoree in his inimitable grooving form.

Two additional Weniger originals appear later in the program—"Couler d' Automne," loose and earth-toned, with subtle shifts in shades; and "Rugby," summoning a four-man scrum. But the second half of the album largely focuses on fresh cover interpretations. There's a melodically-moored trip through Alec Wilder's "Moon and Sand," an engaging look at Joe Zawinul's infrequently covered "Frog Legs" (with welcome Robinson clarinet contributions), a Brazilian bonanza in the form of Victor Assis Brasil's "Pro Zeca," and a lightly swinging, well-centered take on Kurt Weill's "September Song."

Wind marks this meeting as "a dialogue between continents, generations, and musical temperaments," and it's hard to argue with that umbrella assessment. September speaks to pliant bonds built on differences and similarities in motion. In short, it's polychronic play at its finest.

Tracks and Personnel

Stars

Tracks: Passing Thoughts; Life; Black Butterfly; Moody; Wail; The Feeling of Jazz; Pra Dizer Adeus; Standing at the Window Waving Goodbye; Stars Fell on Alabama.

Personnel: Anat Cohen: clarinet; Kenny Barron: piano; Martin Wind: bass; Matt Wilson: drums.

September

Tracks: Dance with the Wind; Late Summer Lullaby; Relay; September Serenade; King of the Castle; Moon and Sand; Couleur D'Automne; Frog Legs; Pro Zeca; September Song; Rugby.

Personnel: Peter Weniger: tenor saxophone; Scott Robinson: clarinet (8), tenor saxophone (3, 4, 11); Martin Wind: bass; Jonas Burgwinkel: drums.

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