BeatCaffeine’s Weekly Record Rundown June 3, 2026
Catching up on a number of standout releases from the past few weeks, here are the latest BeatCaffeine Record Rundown selections. Highlights include the brilliant new Domanda Music album from Italian bassist-composer Rosa Brunello, the return of trumpeter Malcolm Strachan with an impressive new recording, Nicola Conte and Nico Lahs’ highly anticipated full-length under the Tema Due alias, and the warm summer sounds of Italian Balearic crew Banda Maje.
Rosa Brunello — ‘We Are Surging Waters’
(Domanda Music)
Rosa Brunello’s latest offering, We Are Surging Water, released on Tommaso Cappellato’s incredible label Domanda Music, finds the Italian bassist-composer pushing her sound—rooted in jazz, improvisation, and West Asian influences—into urgent new territory. Joined by Yazz Ahmed (trumpet, flugelhorn), Tamar Osborn (baritone saxophone, flute), Luca Tapino (trombone), Enrico Terragnoli (guitar, synthesizer), Maurice Louca (synthesizer), Marco Frattini (drums, percussion), and Cappellato himself (drums, percussion), she leads a deeply attuned ensemble crafting rhythm-centered, forward-thinking music steeped in collective energy and resistance. Recorded over three days in June 2025 and largely shaped by improvisation, the brilliant nine-track session results in another bold, evolving statement from Brunello—another front-runner for album of the year!
Malcolm Strachan — ‘Look On The Bright Side’
(Haggis Records)
Following his 2023 breakthrough Point of No Return, Malcolm Strachan returns with his latest Haggis Records release, Look on The Bright Side, his most open and groove-driven statement yet. The Scottish trumpeter blends soul-jazz, Latin rhythms, and Afrobeat touches, capturing the warmth of classic 1970s jazz-fusion that labels like CTI, Mainstream, Catalyst, and others were serving up at the time. The seven-track set is melodic, fluid, and built for movement, with a feel-good energy that should resonate from clubs to summer festival stages—a strong contender for jazz album of the year.
Nicola Conte & Nico Lahs Presents Tema Due — ‘Universo Astratto’
(Schema Records)
Following two stunning EPs on Schema Records, Nicola Conte and Nico Lahs’ Tema Due project reaches full bloom with Universo Astratto, a double LP of elevated, club‑ready transcendence. The music blends spiritual jazz, electronic beats and textures, and deeply rooted Afro‑Latin rhythms into hypnotic grooves. The perfect soundtrack for this summer’s festival dancefloor gatherings—expansive, immersive, and primed for sunset sets and late‑night journeys.
Banda Maje — Costa Sud
(Four Flies Records)
Five years after their radiant debut full-length, Banda Maje return with Costa Sud, a glowing sophomore statement on Italian imprint Four Flies Records. The eight-track set is a sunlit triumph of cinematic funk, once again shaped by composer and keyboardist Peppe Maiellano and his tight-knit Salerno–Naples family: Giuseppe Limpido (drums), Pasquale Di Lascio (percussion), Aldo Capasso (bass), and Antonio D’Apolito (guitar and bouzouki). Brilliant from start to finish, the album fuses jazz, disco, and pan-global rhythms into breezy, transportive scenes made for warm summer evenings.
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