Simone Sou, Guilherme Kastrup, Benjamin Taubkin
Sounds Of Life is charged with energy and innovative rhythms, but not in commonplace way. On it a very special cast of highly talented musicians create percussive haunting and beautiful music, but there is a caveat, the listener has to be patient (and this listener was not patient enough for one track) because it is […]
Benny Sharoni
Let’s get one thing straight from the start, this album is fabulous. It is filled with talent and verve and amazing music on top. It’s one of a kind, a bebop tour de force of the highest calibre. It doesn’t just be and bop, it shuffles it goes Caribbean and does some of the most […]
Richard Galliano & Sylvain Luc
The French must be music connoisseurs, this album proves as much if nothing else. Frenchmen Richard Galliano (accordions) and his very able partner Sylvain Luc (acoustic guitars) play a nostalgic tribute to a unique style of music. The album is a marriage of Gallic passion, verve and virtuosity, it is an intimate musical romp through […]
Kouyaté-Neerman
The balaphone is a type of wooden xylophone that one rarely gets to hear, let alone see. Its inclusion in this album is just one of the unusual factors which makes Skyscrapers & Deities a very delightful encounter. Lansiné Kouyate (balaphone) and David Neerman (electric and acoustic vibraphones) have been able to put together an […]
Jeff Beck
I’ve seen Jeff Beck a couple of times over the last 15 years but on neither ocassion did he play as well as he does here. He says he likes Tokyo because they listen, well he certainly gave them something to listen to in April, 2014. A spectacular set with a mix of his own […]
various artists
Iiro Rantala String Trio Anyone With A Heart ACT This is musical magic encapsulated and way beyond classification. It has all the chutzpah, creativity, wit and cheerful essence with which one can transform a gray day into a colourful one. It is jazz, blues and central European folk music interwoven with sheer inspiration. A unique […]
Donald Fagen
Some of us have been listening to ‘the Dan’s’ music for nearly four decades, yet the noise is as compelling as it was way back when. It’s safe to say that the sound for which Donald Fagen is so well known was established somewhere in the late 70s and, for better or worse, has been […]
Joe Locke
A runner and a dancer may be equally fit and develop similar muscles but watching them ‘strutting their stuff’ elicits very different reactions. A case in point is Joe Locke’s vibraphone led Lay Down My Heart. As I am partial to the sound of a vibraphone and own albums by the likes of Lionel Hampton, […]
Wesseltoft Schwarz Berglund
If you crave musical experiences that intrigue the ears and create emotional memories the name Bugge Wesseltoft should be very high on your list of must hear artists. Although his name may resemble a medical condition he is quite the opposite of being harmful to your health. This album is the latest of Wesseltoft’s masterful […]
Nucleus with Leon Thomas
Never before released this was made at the Montreux Jazz Festival where Nucleus won first prize this finds the British fusion pioneers fronted by jazz vocalist Leon Thomas. Thomas was a very distinctive singer with an ululating style that was brought to the jazz world’s attention with the The Creator Has A Master Plan recorded […]
Neil Cowley Trio
The Neil Cowley Trio is made up of musicians who, although they claim to be British, sound distinctly Scandinavian. This is not just an observation but high praise as well. Anybody who has listened to Scandinavian jazz will realise that it means this album will be a treat and a delight to listen to. For […]
Matthew E White
Matthew E White is a prolific guy indeed. In addition to releasing a single (One Of These Days), this album and a follow up EP called Outer Face, he fronts an avant-garde jazz band (Fight the Big Bull), and manages to arrange ‘this’ and collaborate with ‘them’ as well. It’s an admirable work ethic from a […]
Marcotulli & Biondini Duo Art
The editor it appears suffers from a little known disease called accordionophobia, hence this is the third album to feature the instrument that has come my way. His loss my gain! La Strada Invisibile is yet another delightfully mesmerising album from the ACT label. From the first note and with very few exceptions this is […]
Aaron Freeman
Aaron Freeman went by the pseudonym Gene Ween for the 28 years that he fronted the alt rock band of the same name, but he returned to his given name for a solo career that started two years back with an album of Rod McKuen covers. On this second outing he does a pretty good […]
Sun Ra And His Arkestra
When initially asked to review this album I approached it with a mix of trepidation and curiosity. In the event the occasion has been a very merry romp through some very enjoyable performances by very talented musicians. The Sun Ra name has associations with weird and uncompromisingly avant-garde jazz, rest assured this album isn’t either, […]
ZZ Top
It’s heart warming to see that the vinyl revival is making an impression on labels like Warner Bros, labels with a back catalogue that’s truly worth plundering. Tres Hombres was the album that put ZZ Top on the map in the US and produced one of their finest songs ever in La Grange. It was […]