Ulysses Owens Jr. takes the classic hard bop sound and makes it pop with a youthful urgency on 2026’s Around the World with U. The album, which follows 2024’s New Beat, is the New York drummer and Julliard professor’s second with his Generation Y ensemble; a group who takes direct inspiration from the hard-driving style of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Made up of some former students and up-and-coming players, the group here features alto saxophonist Erena Terakubo, trumpeter Anthony Hervey, pianist Tyler Bullock, and bassist Yasushi Nakamura. Pushed ever forward by Owens’ muscular, hard-swinging grooves, they conjure a robust, live-in-studio sound that crackles with the burn-out intensity of a club gig. It’s a vibe they capture from the start on…