CapitalBop’s best D.C. jazz albums of 2023

With the release of Until Now, Stephen Arnold solidifies his reputation in D.C. as a first-call bassist, composer and bandleader. Though Arnold and his band Sea Change have performed together for several years (their debut release was featured in CapitalBop’s roundup of 2020’s best D.C. jazz albums), this sophomore record is elevated by a fruitful collaboration between Arnold and Sarah Marie Hughes (on saxophones). In the album notes, Arnold writes, “Until Now is a retelling of Sarah’s and my story from December 2021 to October 2022.” The resulting sound is delicately immersed in a range of compelling sonic spaces.

On the opening track, “Kindred,” Arnold and Hughes establish their bona fides as improvisers while setting a meditative, heartbeat-like pulse; this blends seamlessly into “True Love,” the most tender track on the record. On “Sarah’s Steps” Hughes demonstrates her vitality to the group’s more developed sound, with an extended solo beautifully accompanied by Federico Gonzalez Peña’s piano. Two of Arnold’s bandmates from ¡FIASCO! — guitarist Nelson Doughtery and drummer Keith Butler Jr. — join Peña to anchor the group with unyielding clarity and dynamic sensitivity throughout.