Brian Landrus: Just When You Think You Know

BLUELAND RECORDS 2026) RELEASED MARCH 20, 2026

Don’t expect saxophonist Brian Landrus to continue exploring the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn on his latest release. If you’re waiting for Landrus to return to the post-bop recordings of Everlasting and Deep Below, it’s not happening either. And don’t hold your breath for more ambitious soundscapes that characterized Generations and Mirage. After all, with a title like Just When You Think You Know, Landrus expands his library of recordings with more originals, adding the tenor sax to his reed arsenal and producing a varied session of what some might call pleasant, contemporary jazz. Varied, because Landrus’ goal on Just When You Thought You Know is to capture a sensation of uncertainty and surprise in the stylistic variations from one track to the next. One minute you’re soothed by the flowing bossa novas of “Continuance” and “Averse.” The next minute you’re deep into the R&B grooves of “All in Time” and “Untold Story.” Just When You Think You Know shifts from the lilting jazz waltz of the title track to the chamber like feel of “El Perro Sigma” to the meditative ballad “Dear Fred” to the more straight-ahead “One Year.” Just as varied as the tunes, is Landrus’ ability to switch from baritone sax to bass clarinet, alto flute to bass flute, plus a few tunes on tenor sax. Like his most recent release of Ellington and Strayhorn tunes, Landrus overdubs various horns on tracks such as “Untold Story,” “El Perro Sigma” and “Paroxysm.” Fortunately, Landrus has surrounded himself with musicians who can easily navigate between these melodic and rhythmic shifts — Zaccai Curtis, who makes his first recorded appearance with Landrus, on acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes; guitarist Dave Stryker, who supported Landrus on his recent Ellington/Strayhorn project; and bassist Lonnie Plaxcio and drummer Rudy Royston, who have recorded with Landrus on several of his earlier sessions. To say that Just When You Think You Know is a mixed bag of melodies and moods would be an understatement, but it is a statement Landrus wants to make about expecting the unexpected.

BOTTOM LINE: There is an expression in my home state of Iowa that goes, “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes.” The same could be said for Just When You Think You Know. Saxophonist Brian Landrus delivers a mixed bag of melodies and moods. For me, the forecast on this recording is partially cloudy.