There’s some significance to the release of Winter Songs – it’s the first album featuring Steve Swallow as a leader since 2013, and the first one since the passing of Carla Bley, his multi-decade partner in life and music. Considering the folks he’s most associated with – free jazz pioneer Jimmy Giuffre, vibraphone maverick Gary Burton, genre-agnostic guitarist John Scofield, quirky keyboardist Jamie Saft, his artistically unique spouse – fans might be surprised at the vibe on Winter Songs. Joined by saxophonist Chris Cheek, trumpeter Mike Rodriguez, pianist Gil Goldstein, guitarist Steve Cardenas, and drummer Adam Nussbaum, Swallow takes us back in time, when jazz was transitioning from bebop to hard bop in small clubs around New York. Though known for his nimble bass work, Swallow keeps to the background on these songs, letting the horns carry the melodies and the piano provide most of the color. It’s the veteran’s compositions that matters here, his way with a melody and understanding of harmonic structure, rather than his technique. The gentle swing of “Four,” the groovy bop of “Six,” the dreamy harmony of “Eight,” and the smoky romanticism of “Two” sound more like they belong on a Blue Note album circa 1957 than on an ECM album in 2026. But that doesn’t mean Swallow has gone retro on Winter Songs – just that there’s comfort in a classic sound, and even the most satisfying environment benefits from a new coat of paint from an experienced hand.
