Reggie Watkins Quintet
at Smalls Jazz Club
Matt Parker · Orrin Evans · Matt Dwonszyk · Byron Landham
Two nights. One of New York's most essential jazz rooms. Reggie Watkins leads a stellar quintet — Matt Parker on saxophones, Orrin Evans on piano, Matt Dwonszyk on bass, Byron Landham on drums. Sets at 9:00 pm & 10:30 pm both nights. Walk-ins welcome, tickets recommended.
Side Door → Utica → Smalls
The Reggie Watkins QuintetThe quintet hit the road this spring — May 22 at Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme, CT, May 23 at The Other Side in Utica, NY, and closing the run at Smalls. Connecticut to upstate New York to the Village. The soundcheck in Utica was a moment:
Orrin Evans · Matt Parker · Byron Landham · Matt Dwonszyk · Reggie Watkins
Dream Walker (Echoes)
Reggie Watkins · with Roger HumphriesReggie submitted Dream Walker (Echoes) to NPR's Tiny Desk Contest — and the performance features the remarkable Roger Humphries on drums.
For anyone unfamiliar: Roger Humphries is Pittsburgh jazz royalty. Born in 1944, he recorded with Horace Silver's quintet in the mid-1960s — appearing on the landmark Blue Note record Song For My Father (1964), one of the most important jazz albums ever made. He later performed with Ray Charles, and has been the heartbeat of Pittsburgh's jazz scene for over six decades. At 80-plus, he's still in the room, still playing. When Reggie Watkins and Roger Humphries share a stage, it is Pittsburgh jazz meeting itself — the tradition in full conversation with the present.
Alan Hampton
Little White Lies · Capricorn with Gretchen ParlatoAlan Hampton's debut on BYNK Records — Little White Lies — continues to find new listeners. Two live takes, guitar and voice, no overdubs. But there's more: Alan's new single — Capricorn — is out now on Gretchen Parlato's newest album.
The song is written by Alan Hampton with lyrics co-written by Matt Parker. Released just days ago. Gretchen Parlato is a singular voice — this placement puts Alan and Matt's writing in front of one of the most respected audiences in contemporary vocal jazz. Go listen.
Listen to Capricorn → Little White Lies →
New Full Album — Recorded
Richard X Bennett · Matt Parker · Jonathan Barber · Matt DwonszykRichard X Bennett and Matt Parker are back — this time with Jonathan Barber on drums and Matt Dwonszyk on bass. A full quartet. A full album. Title to be determined. Recorded at Firehouse 12 in New Haven. Release: 2027.
Before that arrives, the Fire Tornado EP — the duo recording — arrives end of summer 2026. If you haven't heard Parker Plays X yet, start there.
432 Hz Piano & Woodwinds I
Matt Parker · 2026The first piece in a new series of ambient compositions from Matt Parker — 432 Hz Piano & Woodwinds I. Tuned to 432 Hz, rooted in stillness, designed to be heard in full. It sits far outside the post-bop vocabulary of his previous work, and deliberately so. The catalog is expanding in every direction.
BYNKRecords.com Is New
bynkrecords.com has been fully redesigned. The full catalog is there, every release is linked, the store is open, and the full archive of From the Label lives at bynkrecords.com/from-the-label. Worth a visit if you haven't been in a while.
The Last Six Months
This is the first dispatch going out to the full list — so here are the highlights from Fall and Winter. Both issues are available in full at the link below.
- Hartford Jazz Festival with Dr. William Cepeda
- Little White Lies — Alan Hampton released
- Rivers #34 JazzWeek · JAZZIZ Discovery
- First They Came — in conversation
- Baby Grand Jazz Series announced
- House Is Open, Going Dark — Music From The Sole
- Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra — Side Door residency
- Candy Shop Boys — 15-year remaster announced
- Murray Hill Christmas at Alice Tully Hall
- Firehouse 12 sessions — RXB + Jonathan Barber + Matt Dwonszyk
Baby Grand Jazz Series
Matt Parker · Richard X Bennett · Reggie WatkinsThe full concert from the Baby Grand Jazz Series is online. Three BYNK Records artists on one stage at Hartford Public Library. If you missed it live, start with the last song — Belly First — then go back and watch the whole set.
Start Here · Last Song · Belly First Watch Full Concert →Get to Smalls this weekend if you can. And if you can't — Belly First is a good place to start. The full catalog is at bynkrecords.com, and there's more coming before summer is out.
BYNK Records Simsbury, CT · Est. 2013