“An explorer of low-register sonorities and a composer with an ear tuned as much to architecture as to atmosphere, Brian Landrus has steadily built a body of work that resists easy categorization. On Just When You Think You Know, he advances that trajectory with a recording that is less a stylistic pivot than a deepening…. Indispensable.” – Thierry de Clémensat, Paris Move
“Landrus displays formidable chops as both a composer… and a virtuoso.” – Matt R. Lohr, JazzTimes
In recent years Brian Landrus has learned firsthand just how unpredictable life can be. Through the passing of loved ones, the end of relationships, the betrayal of close friendships – not to mention the social and political upheavals we’ve all come to know far too well – the saxophonist, clarinetist, flutist and composer has become intimately acquainted with expecting the unexpected.
On his thrillingly eclectic new album, Just When You Think You Know, Landrus vividly captures that sensation of uncertainty and surprise – through both in the spontaneity and in-the-moment interactions of his stellar quintet and the startling stylistic variation from one track to the next. The title also issues a challenge to those familiar with Landrus’ past catalogue. Well known as a low woodwind specialist, an in-demand master of the baritone sax, bass clarinet and alto and bass flutes, Landrus broadens his palette with the addition of tenor sax and C flute, making for a wide-ranging program in content as well as color.
Out March 20, 2026 from BlueLand/Palmetto Records, Just When You Think You Know brings together a remarkably versatile quintet adept at navigating the curves and twists that the composer lays in their path. Landrus has called upon bassist Lonnie Plaxico and drummer Rudy Royston often, together and separately, for his rhythm sections – both appeared on his 2022 release Red List. Guitarist Dave Stryker returns from Landrus’ most recent album, 2024’s Brian Landrus Plays Ellington & Strayhorn, while pianist Zaccai Curtis is a longtime friend working with the leader for the first time.
“Being pigeonholed can have its advantages,” says Landrus, who switched his focus from tenor to baritone early in his career in part to differentiate himself in an oversaturated market. “But with this album I wanted to break free of that and try new things. I was determined not to worry about some of the things that may have limited me in the past.”
While most of the music on Just When You Think You Know was written specifically for this band and this recording, Landrus also reached back to a much earlier turning point in his life and career for a few thematically resonant pieces. “Untold Story,” “Beyond” and “Under Dark” all originated in 2002, a period (half a lifetime ago) when the saxophonist had found success but reached his wits’ end touring with Motown bands like The Temptations and The Four Tops and pop/rock acts like The Beach Boys.
“It had become too easy,” Landrus reflects. “It was a dark time in my life, and I knew I had to get out of that scene.” Soon after, he enrolled in the masters program at New England Conservatory and embarked on the series of releases that has seen him acclaimed as a “commanding voice on both baritone saxophone and bass clarinet” by WBGO’s Nate Chinen and a “composer of great strength and substance” by Dan Bilawsky at All About Jazz.
“All In Time,” which opens the album, philosophically links that earlier rough patch with the difficult period that Landrus is currently emerging from, with a more contemplative attitude born of years of experience and Landrus’ meditation practice. His nimble and eloquent bass clarinet solo rises from a gentle chorus of horns, an environment showcasing his newly expanded array of instruments.
“Whatever instrument I’m playing on a tune is the one that I wrote it on, for the most part,” Landrus explains. “A lot of people insist that you can play great on one instrument, you can play two instruments really well – and you can be mediocre at three or more. But the spectrum of the sonic world is wide open, and I love all of these instruments deeply. I think of them as an arsenal of possibilities.”
“Continuance” shifts to an alluring bossa nova feel, pairing Landrus’ soulful flute with Stryker’s lyrical acoustic playing. The mood alters again for the sultry R&B groove of “Untold Story,” and once more on the simmering hard-bop swing of “One Year.” Such sudden right turns define the narrative arc of the album: the spiritual intensity of “From the Night” gives way to the radiant title track; the smoldering, Rhodes-tinted groove of “Something Special” contrasts the lush funk of “Paroxysm.”
Deep feelings pervade the compositions: “Dear Fred” was penned in tribute to the sax mouthpiece maker Fred Lebayle, a close friend of Landrus who died in September 2024, and “El Perro Sigma” is an ode to the composer’s much-missed chihuahua, Herman. The title track was written in response to the uncharacteristic actions of a close friend, while “All in Time” and “One Year” chart the dissolution of a romantic relationship.
Just When You Think You Know… well, anything really: life’s trajectory, your closest companions, what the next day may hold – that’s just when you’re most certain to confront the unexpected. For those who think they know what a Brian Landrus album signifies, or even those approaching this bold new release totally blind – prepare to be exhilaratingly surprised.
Brian Landrus
Multi-instrumentalist and composer Dr. Brian Landrus has become an internationally recognized specialist on the low woodwind family: baritone saxophone, bass saxophone, bass clarinet, contra alto clarinet, alto flute, and bass flute. As a composer, Landrus has written for instrumentation from soloist to symphony orchestra. Paris Move hailed his 2024 release Plays Ellington & Strayhorn, saying, “Brian Landrus pours all his passion for Ellington into his work… offering a perspective often more poetic than the original writing.” 2022’s Red List was lauded for its focus on endangered species, which All About Jazz wrote, “celebrates these vanishing animals with music full of life and grandeur.” Landrus has performed with some of the world’s great musicians, including Fred Hersch, Maria Schneider Orchestra, esperanza spalding, Feist, The Temptations, Darcy James Argue, Billy Hart, Uri Caine, Donny McCaslin, Brandee Younger, Joey DeFrancesco, Jason Palmer, and many more. Dr. Landrus is an Associate Professor of Jazz Composition at Berklee College of Music.
Brian Landrus – Just When You Think You Know
BlueLand/Palmetto Records – BLR-2026 – Recorded August 25-26, 2025
Release date March 20, 2026
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