Somethin' To Relax With

Acclaimed New Orleans–based ensemble Nolatet returns with their third album, Somethin’ To Relax With, arriving in April 2026 via RPF Records/Royal Potato Family. The group reunites the legendary Crescent City rhythm section of bassist James Singleton and drummer Johnny Vidacovich alongside two of the city’s most highly regarded and fearless improvisers: vibraphonist/percussionist Mike Dillon and pianist Brian Haas. Nolatet’s first new music since 2016’s No Revenge Necessary, the quartet recorded Somethin’ To Relax With live at The Lowdown in Tulsa over two sold-out shows in 2025. Previously praised by JazzTimes for their “mix of quirky melodies, classically informed harmonies, gentle grooves, and punk-rock moxie” and hailed by DownBeat as “innovative in its improvisations and graceful in its execution,” Nolatet once again rises to such accolades across six new compositions, including highlights “Switchback,” “Surely Hazard” and “Black Pencil,” that balance an earthy jazz finesse with swaggering syncopation. “Musically speaking, the Nolatet is limitless. The music ebbs and flows effortlessly, like rebirthing an amoeba,” says Dillon. “We have one of the all-time great New Orleans rhythm sections in Johnny V. and James. Like any great rhythm section, they make you find parts of yourself that you never knew existed. With that as our foundation, there’s no telling how far the music can expand with each performance.”