Music

New York Saxophonist Alden Hellmuth Collides Jazz, Punk and Improvisation on New Album ‘Tether’

May 1, 2026

Alden Hellmuth plays saxophone like someone who grew up equally obsessed with Charlie Parker and Japanese punk bands, because she did. The New York-based saxophonist and composer announces her sophomore album ‘Tether’ today alongside the release of lead single “Face The Wall,” a clamorous, gripping collision of jazz and punk that signals exactly where this record is headed. ‘Tether’ arrives June 26 via LEITER, the label co-founded by Nils Frahm, on limited-edition vinyl and all digital platforms.

“Face The Wall” sets the tone with purpose. Written under the influence of Deerhoof and Otoboke Beaver, the track puts bassists Logan Kane and Miller Wrenn at the center, creating a space for them to explore sound and texture in relation to each other while drummer Justin Brown, known for his work with Thundercat, locks everything into place. Hellmuth’s alto saxophone cuts through the low-end density with bright, nimble precision. It’s a genuinely exciting piece of music.

The album’s concept grew from a single performance. Kane and Wrenn were both playing a DIY show at LA space Non Plus Ultra, and Hellmuth, struck by the grit of the room and the energy of both players, decided to bring them together. “I felt really inspired by the grittiness of the space and suddenly thought, why not bring all of us together to write music with that ethos for two bassists?” The result is an eight-track suite that draws on the free jazz double bass ensembles of Ornette Coleman and Andrew Hill, panning each bassist left to right and building a sonic world unlike anything in Hellmuth’s previous work.

The range across ‘Tether’ is striking. Opener “Microfictions” channels Anthony Braxton’s Ghost Trance Music approach to expansive improvisational ideas built on meticulous melodic structures. “Guesswork” settles into meditative bass harmonics and textural melodies. “Satellite (K)” is the group’s take on the John Coltrane standard, full of wonky polyrhythmic interchanges. “Fake(rs)” operates as a choose-your-own-adventure piece, written in cyclical groupings that players can enter at any point, allowing the music to transform itself in real time. Pianist Paul Cornish and trumpeter Yakiv Tsvietinskyi round out the ensemble as featured guests.

Hellmuth’s biography reads like someone who’s been running toward this record her whole life. Growing up in Hartford, Connecticut, the birthplace of pioneering saxophonist Jackie McLean, she started playing in middle school and never stopped pushing. She studied at the Hartt School, relocated to New York, released her debut album ‘Good Intentions’ in 2024 to widespread acclaim, and won the 2025 German Jazz Prize for Debut Album of the Year International. She also earned the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award in 2024.

Between those achievements, she enrolled in the Master’s program at the Herbie Hancock Institute at UCLA, where she was mentored by Ambrose Akinmusire, Walter Smith III, and Hancock himself, including a chance to tour with the legend. That’s not a conventional path. It’s the kind of education that shows up directly in the music, and ‘Tether’ is the proof.

“This album is simply me and my love of music,” Hellmuth says. “It’s wholly authentic and that’s all that will ever matter.” For a record that pulls from Anthony Braxton, Japanese punk, Coltrane, and DIY performance spaces in equal measure, that authenticity is exactly what holds it all together. Pre-order is open now. The album release show takes place July 22 at Brooklyn’s Close Up.

Alden Hellmuth Live Dates:

May 5––Brooklyn, NY––Sister’s

May 13––New York, NY––Close Up

May 18––New York, NY––Close Up

June 20––Philadelphia, PA––Solar Myth/Ars Nova

June 23––Brooklyn, NY––Seeds

July 2––Brooklyn, NY––Close Up w/ Sylvie Courvoisier Trio

July 8––Basel, CH––Bird’s Eye Club

July 10––Frankfurt, DE––Jazzclub Montez

July 12––Rotterdam, NL––North Sea Jazz Festival

July 13––Berlin, DE––TBA

July 14––Mantua, IT––TBA