Featured Release

Album Overview

On Just When You Think You Know, Brian Landrus brings together a quintet of Zaccai Curtis, Dave Stryker, Lonnie Plaxico, and Rudy Royston for a recording that moves across a broad instrumental and stylistic range while maintaining a clear ensemble identity. With Landrus heard on baritone and tenor saxophones, bass clarinet, flute, alto flute, and bass flute, the album unfolds through varied pacing, shifting textures, and close group interplay, moving from reflective low-woodwind writing to groove-based forms, lyric ballad settings, and more open contemporary passages. The program is shaped by color, phrasing, and measured ensemble response, allowing each piece to contribute to the recording’s wider arc without overstating its intent.

From the album…

From the album… the recording’s balance between atmosphere and momentum comes into especially clear focus on “Under Dark,” where electric bass, drums, and layered ensemble writing establish a firm, repeating motion beneath Landrus’ dark-toned line. The music settles into a direct, groove-centered feel while leaving space for timbral contrast and measured development, illustrating the album’s larger approach to pacing, texture, and ensemble listening.

Listen to the album

Recommended listening: begin with “Under Dark,” then let the album unfold.

Album Details

Artist: Brian Landrus
Album: Just When You Think You Know
Label: BlueLand / Palmetto Records
Release Date: March 20, 2026

Personnel:
Brian Landrus – baritone sax, tenor sax, bass clarinet, flute, alto flute, bass flute
Zaccai Curtis – piano, Rhodes, keyboards
Dave Stryker – electric and acoustic guitar
Lonnie Plaxico – electric and acoustic bass
Rudy Royston – drums, percussion

Track Listing:

1. All In Time
2. Continuance
3. Untold Story
4. One Year
5. Dear Fred
6. Averse
7. El Perro Sigma
8. Beyond
9. Trance
10. From The Night
11. Just When You Think You Know
12. Under Dark
13. Something Special
14. Paroxysm