There’s something inherently honest about a live jazz record when it’s done right, and Live at Maureen’s Jazz Cellar is exactly that kind of work. Recorded over two nights in June 2025 at Maureen’s Jazz Cellar in New York’s Hudson Valley, this latest release from the Peter Furlan Project captures a band operating at full stretch; confident, conversational, and deeply attuned to the room they’re playing in.
Led by saxophonist, composer, and arranger Peter Furlan, the album features a nonet of seasoned players navigating a set of mostly original compositions. The choice of venue is crucial here, because Maureen’s Jazz Cellar is known for its close acoustics and attentive audiences. the recording leans into that intimacy rather than fighting it, and you can hear the room interact with the ensemble throughout the album.
Stylistically, the album sits comfortably within modern post-bop and straight-ahead jazz, but Furlan’s writing keeps things from feeling conservative. His compositions are structurally thoughtful, yet they leave ample space for improvisation.
The instrumentation plays a big role in shaping the album’s sound. featuring trumpet, flugelhorn, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones (with bass clarinet), trombone, piano, guitar, bass, and drums; the nonet offers a wide tonal palette. Furlan’s arrangements make full use of this, shifting between punchy horn figures and more spacious, layered passages.
https://peterfurlan.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-maureens-jazz-cellar
Furlan strikes a careful balance with the production, as the record’s clarity is impressive for a live performance. Solos sit clearly in the mix, ensemble sections retain their impact, and the low end never becomes muddy. At the same time, the sound avoids over-cleaning; there’s enough grit and air left in to preserve the feel of the performance.
Several tracks stand out across the set. “Return to the Be-Bop Tango” opens things with sharp energy, marrying angular lines with a sense of play that immediately signals the band’s confidence. “The Ice Committee” stretches out more, offering a strong example of how Furlan balances written material with open improvisation.
“Blues Squared” delivers exactly what the title promises; a blues framework expanded and refracted through modern ensemble writing. Closing highlight, “Mrs. Clean Freak,” one of the longest tracks on the album, feels like a miniature suite, moving through contrasting moods and giving multiple voices space to shine.
Live at Maureen’s Jazz Cellar succeeds because it understands what a live jazz album should do: capture chemistry. It showcases Peter Furlan not only as a formidable saxophonist but as a bandleader with a clear compositional vision and the trust of musicians capable of bringing that vision to life on the spot.