| Jazz |
The Radiant Architecture of Javier Nero’s ‘Alkebulan’
With a steaming cup of coffee on my desk, I settle in for the first listen. Outside, the night’s lingering chill is already surrendering to an early spring; the heat is coming, but for now, the fans remain silent. The disc whirs in the player. Having scanned the liner notes, a veritable Who’s Who of jazz royalty, the only real risk in pressing “play” is the certainty of falling into an infinite loop. That is exactly what happened.
Javier Nero, the trombonist and composer, possesses a profound musicality, weaving melodic grace through Latin rhythms with an expert hand. From the opening notes, the listener is submerged in a contemporary orchestral universe where the ear wanders, with sheer delight, through the labyrinthine beauty of his score. Nero notes that his lifelong fascination with humanity and ancient civilizations took on a new dimension with the birth of his daughter, Zara Ayla Nero. She has become the connective tissue of his work, revealing a romanticism evident in the soul-stirring eponymous tracks “Radiant Flower (Zara)” and “Ayla.”
The music evokes the grandeur of the Great American Big Band, the swagger of Count Basie, the sophistication of Duke Ellington, yet it is filtered through Nero’s global curiosity. “I want to push musical boundaries, but never at the expense of accessibility,” Nero says. “Everyone should be able to find something that speaks to them, regardless of musical training.” Indeed, he pushes those boundaries by layering styles so deftly that it occasionally feels as if multiple orchestras are performing simultaneously in perfect, consonant harmony. It is, quite simply, mesmerizing.
With Alkebulan, Dr. Nero and his ensemble emerge as a formidable force on the contemporary scene. The album is emotionally rich and stylistically diverse, held together by a masterly thematic vision that suggests an artist on a brilliant trajectory, one who uses music as a means of invitation and welcome.
The ensemble, a collection of marvelous musicians, guides the listener through sweeping, almost cinematic landscapes. While the music remains approachable, it is underscored by an extreme complexity, likely the very thing that lured such high-caliber collaborators to the project. Across nine tracks, the album feels less like a mere collection of songs and more like a perfectly curated festival program. The beauty manifests in the roaring orchestral peaks just as clearly as it does in the quiet moments where a lone piano tells its story.
This is not just another jazz record; it is a portal into the intellectual universe of a man who is a trombonist by trade but a master composer and arranger by calling. It is a masterclass in sequencing and surprise. If you have yet to encounter Nero’s work, there is no better introduction, especially since, as is her custom, Veronica Swift delivers a performance that is nothing short of miraculous.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, February 8th 2026
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Feat: Sean Jones, Warren Wolf & Veronica Swift, Randy Brecker & Shawn Purcell, ucas Pino, Alex Brown, Nicole Zuraitis, Nathan Skinner, Daniel Dickinson.
Musicians :
Daniel Andrews, Daniel Dickinson, Xavier Perez, Clay Pritchard, Lucas Pino et Dustin Mollick (bois); Josh Kauffman, Chris Burbank, Graham Breedlove, Ken McGee, Noah Hocker et Alec Aldred (trompettes/bugles); Javier Nero, Luke Brimhall, Aaron Eckert et Jake Craft (trombones); Adam Moezinia et Michael Kramer (guitares); James Collins et Alex Brown (piano); Kyle Swan (batterie); Regan Brough (contrebasse); Kyle Athayde (vibraphone); Danielle Wertz et Javier Nero (voix); et Murph Aucamp et Fran Vielma (percussions).
L’album accueille également de nombreux invités: Randy Brecker et Sean Jones (trompette/bugle); Warren Wolf (vibraphone); Veronica Swift et Nicole Zuraitis (chant); Shawn Purcell (guitare); et Nate Skinner (percussions).
Track Listing :
Alkebulan
Make It So
Radiant Flower (Zara)
Ayla
Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise
Devil May Care
The Fourth Dimension
Tesseract
Seminole