| Jazz |
Listening for the Future of Jazz: Max Kochetov’s “Foolin’ Myself”
At a moment when jazz is routinely declared either obsolete or endlessly reinvented, saxophonist Max Kochetov offers a more convincing response: listen closely.
With Foolin’ Myself, A.MA Records opens its 2026 catalog on a note of clarity and ambition. The album is both assertive and inviting, a work in which the saxophone stands as the prince of melody, carried by Kochetov’s commanding tone and the quiet authority of his quartet. Recorded with exceptional sonic precision, the music embraces complexity without sacrificing accessibility, rewarding both first impressions and deep listening.
At the heart of the album lies an ongoing question, one that has long animated jazz musicians on both sides of the Atlantic. As Kochetov himself puts it: “I often ask myself whether the music I compose is jazz or not. And, more broadly, what is jazz today?”
Rather than offering a theoretical answer, Foolin’ Myself responds musically. Traditional jazz, particularly post-bop, forms the backbone of the album, yet it is filtered through a distinctly contemporary sensibility. Kochetov moves freely between eras, suggesting that jazz has not vanished in the modern age, but rather evolved, absorbing new languages while remaining faithful to its core.
“Even as I strive to explore modernity, I constantly return to the roots,” he writes. “That is where I search for answers, and where I always find them.”
From a broader cultural perspective, there is nothing paradoxical in this dialogue between past and present. Across North America and Europe, many artists engage in the same process, shaped by different histories but united by rhythm, swing, and collective interplay. Kochetov’s post-bop vocabulary stands confidently alongside its American counterparts, without imitation or deference.
What sets Foolin’ Myself apart is the way it integrates a European musical consciousness into this tradition. Elements of classical structure, folk-inflected melodic contours, and a particular attention to harmonic color give the album a character that feels both rooted and expansive. This is not jazz diluted by other forms, but jazz enriched by them, a synthesis that recalls an era when figures like Dexter Gordon embraced European stages and collaborators with curiosity and joy. One can easily imagine Gordon stepping into this musical space, drawn by its lyricism and openness.
Jazz, after all, is a shared language: transnational, transgenerational, and transcultural.
The album’s deeper appeal emerges over time. Repeated listens reveal writing shaped by years of experience and guided by a clear artistic vision. Each composition carries its own narrative weight, reflecting, as Kochetov notes, “everyday interactions with the world.”
The arrangements, in turn, elevate the musicians of the quartet, allowing delicacy, depth, and controlled complexity to unfold naturally. Together, they construct sonic landscapes that honor not only jazz tradition, but music itself as a serious, living art form.
“Each piece has its own story, its own emotional landscape,” Kochetov explains, and those stories are told with restraint, coherence, and quiet conviction.
Ultimately, Foolin’ Myself affirms a simple truth: there will always be room for beautiful music. That beauty lies in the translation of an artist’s inner life, in the singular way sound is shaped into meaning. It is what makes one voice recognizable among many.
By uniting post-bop language with a clearly articulated European sensibility, Max Kochetov positions himself not at the margins of jazz’s future, but firmly within its ongoing conversation. Foolin’ Myself is unmistakably 21st-century jazz, reflective, open-minded, and deeply human. And it suggests that Kochetov’s voice, increasingly assured, is one we will be hearing for years to come.
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, January 20th 2026
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To buy this album (january 30, 2026)
Musicians :
Max Kochetov Soprano Saxophone
Katarina Kochetova Piano
Hugo Lof Double Bass
Milos Grbatinic Drums
Fabrizio Bosso Trumpet (tracks 2,8)
Ivan Radivojevic (Track 6)
Alex Sipiagin Flugelhorn (Tracks 3,5)
Samuel Blaser Trombone (Tracks 4,9)
All songs composed by Max Kochetov ©&℗ A.MA Edizioni – Produced by A.MA Records For A.MA Edizioni
Co-Producers: Ivan Uzelac & Max Kochetov – Recorded by Danijel Vuković @ FNS Studio. 4-5 Oct 2025
Oslobodjenja 72, Pančevo – Mixed & Mastered by Ivan Uzelac & Max Kochetov