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 […]
Clarice Assad
It is impossible to sum up the size of this musical tour de force, it is just immense. Be it the talent, the energy or the incredible amount of collaborators who are taking part. This album musically explodes around listeners in the most pleasant fashion. Standing at the helm of this larger than size effort […]
Science Fiction Theatre
This is a tremendous bucket of fresh water from Berlin, it really woke me up and made me happy. I have it on heavy rotation in the car, all the time. Not because I’ve never come across anything similar but because so much joy in making music doesn’t appear very often. Those who love music […]
Benjamin Taubkin
This album, made by a collaboration of Moroccan and Brazilian musicians is unusual. Very. The result is very uncommon but in a very positive and a musically pleasing manner. Al Qantara/The bridge is one of the most gentle albums I have ever heard, it offers a light touch that is as mesmerising as it is […]
InDuologue
InDuologue is a young Greek duo Alexandra Lerta and Vasilis Stefanopoulos’s voice and double bass jazz project. When I heard this music for the very first time it reminded me Sheila Jordan’s projects with her long term bass partners Harvie Swartz and Cameron Brown. Or the one off simply titled Sheila, with Arild Andersen in […]
Dino Saluzzi Group
Dino Saluzzi’s group plays music pulls you in slowly without gimmicks, bombastic performance or pomposity. It isn’t old or new, it isn’t styled or filled with any messages. Rather it is a set of tracks filled with dreamy music that veer heavily towards the latin be it Iberic or South American. The group features: Dino […]
Melanie de Biasio
Melanie de Biasio is a Belgian singer who seems to be big on the continent but this is her first release in the UK. I must confess that I only became aware of her very recently thanks to the remarkable French radio station FIP. In No Deal Ms de Biasio has produced a gem of […]
Magnus Öström
Magnus Öström and his band play rock, but not exactly, funky metal, but not exactly, progressive rock, but not exactly, jazz, but, you guessed it. This album is a wonderful musical romp, as entertaining as it is musical. It has a tangential feel to it, with a repetitive tendency and notes that make you feel […]