#5178, New Releases, August 2026

As we say goodbye to the lazy days of summer, we have a wide range of new music from all over the world to keep us company.

London-based saxophonist Jack Wylie of Portico Quartet is preparing to release his debut solo record, Eternal Spring. The title track begins with crystallized strings, which transform into a music bed for ambient sax melodies, as Wylie wanders somewhere between neoclassical, jazz, ambient, and post-rock music.

Hungarian-American harpist Lara Somogyi, who is known for her experiments with effects pedals and live looping, puts forth a new collection of pattern-based harp music in her aptly titled new record, a [time] patterned. In “alloy IX”, she sustains lush chords using various time-based effects, while embellishing them with heavenly glissandos and arpeggios.

Sardinian reeds player Enzo Favata is joined by Atlantico Quintet in his upcoming record titled Ritornare, in which he celebrates his Mediterranean roots while also welcoming the musical cultures of the other side of the Atlantic. “Sine nomine” opens with the Argentine accordion-like instrument called bandoneon, played by Daniele di Bonaventura. Marcello Peghin’s 10-string guitar brings a romantic touch to Favata’s warm yet melancholic world.

South Asian-American vocalist Sheherazaad sings some new stories in Urdu on the first single from her upcoming LP,  “Andhera”. Atmospheric wind instruments provide the backdrop for her ethereal vocals as she blends in her Western influences through electronic elements.

San Francisco-based pan-Mediterranean band The Qadim Ensemble has a new collection of Ladino songs, highlighting the culture of the Sephardic Jews. “Ranas, Kocinas y Gayinas” is a unique medley of three Balkan-Romani folk tunes, with lyrics sung both in Ladino and Turkish, and performed in odd time – which evidently feels natural to the peoples of that part of the globe.

The New York-based pocket orchestra Exceptet is getting ready for their comeback with an album of metal-infused avant-garde works of composer and guitarist Brendon Randall-Myers. Their single, “Chopsticks”, has a title that’s as memorable as it is descriptive, since actual chopsticks make an appearance as hammers for an unusual way of playing the electric guitar.

We wrap up our selection with an excerpt of Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy’s “III. Nervous System”, from his piano concerto, Limina. Dennehy combines Limina with a violin concerto on his new album recorded in collaboration with the National Symphony Orchestra Ireland, conductor Ryan McAdams, and pianist Eliza McCarthy. -  Sırma Munyar

(Photo of Marcello Peghin, Daniele di Bonaventura, Enzo Favata, and Salvatore Maltana by Attila Kleb)

Program #5178, New Releases, August 2026 (First aired 8/31/26)

ARTIST: Enzo Favata, Atlantico Quintet
WORK: Sine nomine [1:22]
RECORDING: Ritornare
SOURCE: ECM
INFO: https://www.ecmrecordsus.com/products/enzo-favata-daniele-di-bonaventura-marcello-peghin-salvatore-maltana-u-t-gandh-ritornare-digital-album

ARTIST: Jack Wyllie
WORK: Eternal Spring [5:22]
RECORDING: Eternal Spring
SOURCE: Gondwana Records
INFO: https://jackwyllie.bandcamp.com/album/eternal-spring

ARTIST: Lara Somogyi
WORK: alloy IX [4:48]
RECORDING: a [time] patterned
SOURCE: Decca Records
INFO: https://shop.deccarecordsus.com/collections/lara-somogyi/products/lara-somogyi-a-time-patterned-digital-album

ARTIST: Enzo Favata, Atlantico Quintet
WORK: Sine nomine [8:40]
RECORDING: Ritornare 
SOURCE: ECM
INFO: https://www.ecmrecordsus.com/products/enzo-favata-daniele-di-bonaventura-marcello-peghin-salvatore-maltana-u-t-gandh-ritornare-digital-album

ARTIST: Sheherazaad
WORK: Andhera [4:56]
RECORDING: Khudgarzi
SOURCE: Erased Tapes
INFO: https://www.sheherazaad.com/

ARTIST: The Qadim Ensemble
WORK: Ranas, Kocinas y Gayinas [7:50]
RECORDING: Entre Las Huertas
SOURCE: Qadim Productions
INFO: https://www.eliyahusills.com/qadim/

ARTIST: Exceptet
WORK: Chopsticks [8:52]
RECORDING: Episodic Memory
SOURCE: cmntx records
INFO: https://exceptet.com/

ARTIST: Donnacha Dennehy, National Symphony Orchestra Ireland, Eliza McCarthy
WORK: “Limina” Piano Concerto: III. Nervous System [3:55]
RECORDING: Limina
SOURCE: Nonesuch Records
INFO: https://www.nonesuch.com/albums/limina