| Jazz |
Jon Regen’s 1996 instrumental debut album has never been “officially” released. And this is how this excellent jazzman announces the release of his ‘new‘ album, his remastered 1996 instrumental debut:
“OUT TODAY! 30 years ago, I took legendary bassist Earl May (John Coltrane, Billy Taylor) and young drummer Sunny Jain (Red Baraat) into Systems Two Studios in Brooklyn, NY, to record my debut album ‘From Left to Right.’ The music that followed changed the course of my life but was never properly released… until today. Huge thanks to Earl (RIP) and Sunny, Mike Marciano at Systems Two, Greg Calbi for his ace remastering of the music, and the great Kenny Barron, whose original liner notes are included here. Time flies, but music is eternal.”
There is something thrilling about a debut album that arrives thirty years late, not as a curiosity or an act of nostalgia, but as a genuine discovery. And the album feels exactly like what it is: the sound of a talented young jazz musician.
Recorded direct to two-track on Carnegie Hall’s former Steinway Model D at the Systems Two Studios in Brooklyn, the album captures a young Jon Regen in a trio setting with fantastic bassist Earl May, a veteran of sessions with Billy Taylor, John Coltrane and Charlie Parker, and the excellent young drummer Sunny Jain. It is a recording that is intimate and unspoilt, and the analogue warmth of the recording suits the music perfectly. There is no studio gloss here, no digital safety net, just three musicians enjoying playing together. And this is felt throughout the 7 tracks of this opus which exudes the freshness of a trio formed for this event to register Regen’s first album.
From the outset, the record leans heavily on Regen’s instrumental fluency. Trained under Kenny Barron and already recognized early in his career, Regen plays with a confidence that belies the “debut” tag. His touch is articulate and unshowy, favouring melodic clarity over virtuoso excess. Even when he stretches out, there’s a sense of restraint, an instinct to serve the composition rather than dominate it.
The album’s tone is warm and rooted in late-’90s modern jazz traditions. As Jon tells us: “the album showcases the jazz that’s embedded in my DNA.” From the very first notes of “One for KB,” the opening dedication to Regen’s mentor Kenny Barron, it is clear that this is not the work of an ‘apprentice’. The track earned Regen a place as one of five finalists in the Great American Jazz Piano Competition, securing him press and gigs both at home and abroad.
As young jazz pianist, Regen thinks of music in terms of colours and shapes. The lines intersect, the sounds overlap or respond to each other, as if we were witnessing the construction of a painting and Earl May has a keen understanding of this. He does not limit himself to accompanying, he listens, waits, intervenes at the right moment, and subtly directs the musical flow. This is felt very clearly from the first title, “One for KB”.
Across its seven tracks, the album maps the jazz Regen had absorbed under Barron’s tutelage at Rutgers University. The influence of that mentorship is pervasive but never submissive: this is a young pianist fluent in the post-bop tradition, at home with the lyricism of Bill Evans as much as the harmonic density of McCoy Tyner, yet already reaching toward something personal.
Thirty years on from its making, this small, perfectly formed trio recording finally gets to be heard as it deserves, a masterpiece. It is both a splendid jazz record and a revealing insight into a pianist whose undeniable talent would soon make him a Great jazz artist.
Frankie Pfeiffer
Editor in chief – PARIS-MOVE
PARIS-MOVE, April 29th, 2026
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Tracklisting:
1 · One for KB (Regen)
2 · From Left to Right (Regen)
3 · You Are Too Beautiful (Rodgers/ Hart)
4 · P.M.S. (Regen)
5 · Fillmore (Regen)
6 · Eronel (Monk)
7 · Mr. May (Regen)
Musicians:
Jon Regen: piano
Earl May: bass
Sunny Jain: drums
Remastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound
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