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Song For Someone: The Musical Life Of Kenny Wheeler - Jazz Journal
I first heard Wheeler on recordings with the John Dankworth band, then live and on record with the Mike Westbrook Concert Band where, in each context, he made valuable contributions to the proceedings. I didn’t see him in person in a small-group context until some while later when he was added to the outstanding Mike […]
Reviewed: Michika Fukumori | Tobin Mueller | Hanna Paulsberg - Jazz Journal
Michika Fukumori: Eternity And A Day (Summit Records DCD 838) One of those piano prodigies who started at three, Japanese-born Michika Fukumori has had music in her life from the start. Since moving to New York in 2000, she has honed her artistic skills and passion for jazz. Her fourth release is a piano trio […]
Scarborough Jazz Festival approaches - Jazz Journal
The 22nd Scarborough Jazz Festival takes place 26-28 September, bringing artists including James Taylor, Alan Barnes, Emma Rawicz, Simon Spillett and Joe Stilgoe to the North Yorkshire coastal town. Now in its second year with Mark Gordon as director (following the retirement of Mark’s father, Mike, who founded the event), the festival is set among […]
Aberjazz Festival 2025: small town, big sound - Jazz Journal
Fishguard, a quiet coastal village in Pembrokeshire, South Wales, might not be the first place that springs to mind when you think of jazz hotspots. But for five days each summer it transforms into a vibrant hub of rhythm, soul and community spirit. Under the inspired leadership of Alice and Paul Stonhold, the Aberjazz Festival […]
Curate me a riff, baby - Jazz Journal
We’re often told (mostly by publicists) that jazz is still a vibrant, living form with creative potential but given the ceaseless flow into the JJ inbox of press releases consigning it (and other music) to the dusty archives with the hack’s buzzverb “curate”, one might think it’s all over. They remind of the estate agent […]
Reviewed: Atzmon, Bulatkin, Volos, Černák | Eric Dolphy Quintet | Aruán Ortiz | The Counterfictionals - Jazz Journal
Atzmon, Bulatkin, Volos, Černák: Praying For More Songs To Come (HLAVA XXll) Well known for his amalgamation of Middle-Eastern music and jazz, Gilad Atzmon steps into a more straightforward jazz setting. Apparently recorded acoustically in one room, without editing, in half a day, it has the immediacy of a live performance rather than a studio […]
Reviewed: Claire Ritter | Danny Grissett | Mark Solborg/Tungemål - Jazz Journal
Claire Ritter: Songs Of Lumière (Zoning Recordings ZR 1014) Jazz miniatures were once dictated by the amount of music you could spin on to a shellac disc. Later, an LP’s vinyl value-for-money was often reflected in the number of its charts, their duration averaging four to five minutes. American pianist-composer Claire Ritter makes a case […]
Reviewed: Mark Masters Ensemble | Jon Irabagon's PlainsPeak | Joanna Eden - Jazz Journal
Mark Masters Ensemble: Dance, Eternal Spirits, Dance! (Capri Records 74176-2) On the basis of the evidence this album provides, tenor sax player Billy Harper should be at last nine times better known and better appreciated than he is. As it is he might qualify as a musician’s musician, and he obviously doesn’t attract the marketing […]
Reviewed: Vladimir Kostadinovic | Unity Quartet | Felipe Salles - Jazz Journal
Vladimir Kostadinovic: Iris (Criss Cross Jazz 1425) Vladimir Kostadinovic is a Serbia-born, Vienna-based drummer, whose early years were spent absorbing the classical repertoire whilst performing such music on the accordion and pursuing an interest in jazz. The jazz involvement came to fruition once he started to develop his drumming skills on entering the Graz Conservatory. […]
Nigel Price's 46-date tour secured, thanks to Coldplay and friends - Jazz Journal
The indefatigable self-starting guitarist and entrepreneur Nigel Price has organised a mammoth 46-date UK tour this autumn for his organ trio and guest lineups. Titled the UK Grassroots Tour 2025 and running 15 September to 11 December, it relies on a new redistributive funding source which holds promise for UK jazz touring in general. Nigel […]
Reviewed: Rez Abbasi Acoustic Quartet | Ateena | Yusef Lateef - Jazz Journal
Rez Abbasi Acoustic Quartet: Sound Remains (Whirlwind Recordings WR4834) This is one of a series of acoustic guitar-led albums released by Rez Abbasi. His Natural Selection (Sunnyside, 2010) comprised a mix of original tunes and a scattering of covers such as Keith Jarrett’s Personal Mountains and Punjab by Joe Henderson. It also featured the first […]
Reviewed: Alister Spence Trio | Keith Jarrett | Charlie Rouse - Jazz Journal
Alister Spence Trio: Gather (Alister Spence Music ASM016) There’s no justice in the world of the arts, nor in any other world – if there were, this self-produced album would be a bestseller, and Alister Spence would be a mega-star at least in the jazz and improv firmament. Gather features the pianist’s Sydney-based trio, with […]
Reviewed: Oscar Peterson | WDR Big Band - Jazz Journal
With the centenary of Oscar Peterson’s birth coming up 15 August, we’re seeing a welcome programme of LP reissues on 180-gram vinyl (virgin vinyl, no less, it says on the stickers on the covers) in limited editions of 500. The latest two to come my way are Pastel Moods and Romance: The Vocal Stylings Of […]
Reviewed: Ryan Keberle & Collectiv Do Brasil | Roger Glenn | Gabriele Poso presents Ritmo Italiano - Jazz Journal
Ryan Keberle & Collectiv Do Brasil: Choro Das Aguas (Alternate Side Records) Ryan Keberle has come second in the trombone category of Downbeat’s 2025 critics’ poll. As a bandleader, in the past 19 years he’s recorded two albums with his Double Quartet, five with his quartet Catharsis, three with his chamber-jazz trio Reverso and now […]
Anoushka Shankar and Timo Lassy at the Helsinki Festival - Jazz Journal
Anoushka Shankar doesn’t play jazz, but it was part of the mix in her last show of the summer, on a glowing evening at the Helsinki Festival. She and her quartet conjure up an uncategorisable, improvised instrumental music that draws on jazz, rock, ambient, minimalism and, naturally, Indian music, including the Hindustani classical music that […]
Reviewed: Betty Accorsi Quartet | Cygnet Quartet | Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet | Joaquin Núñez + Habana Safari - Jazz Journal
Betty Accorsi Quartet: Nature Prints (self release) What a surprising gem of an album – and band – this is! Nature is very influential on this nine-track debut release; even the method of recording seems natural and organic, every click of drumstick and “mwah” of the bass is present (which I like). There are moments that […]
Reviewed: Shez Raja - Spellbound - Jazz Journal
Shez Raja: Spellbound (Raja Records RR002CD) Minutes into Quantum Spirits, the opening track from Shez Raja’s eighth solo album, there’s a vibe instant enough to predict the British-Asian bassist may have just dropped his most alluring disc to date. From a player that’s picked up numerous accolades and amassed some impressive credits (working alongside the […]
Reviewed: Oscar Peterson | Nick Finzer | Dena DeRose - Jazz Journal
Oscar Peterson: Night Train (WaxTime 771834) The Oscar Peterson trio took a fresh look at 12 classics from the repertoire on this famous 1962 set, here reissued on vinyl. It includes no less than six examples of the blues, jazz music’s oldest harmonic structure. The provenance of the album’s title is quite fascinating. It began […]
JJ 08/85: Joe’s Mode - Jazz Journal
Over the last quarter century, John Coltrane’s influence on saxophone style has been so pervasive that other similar sounding players have often been regarded as Trane disciples rather than distinct individuals. Joe Henderson is one such player, but as he explained, he’d been heading in Trane’s direction for some time before they encountered each other’s […]
Reviewed: Sarah Wilson | Liv Andrea Hauge Trio | Vincent Herring and Eric Alexander - Jazz Journal
Sarah Wilson: Incandescence (Brass Tonic Records) For many years, Sarah Wilson provided the musical backdrop for politically radical and socially conscious puppet shows. Despite those experiences, the composer and trumpeter knows how to loosen up and let the good times roll. Her latest release is a friendly sextet album that mixes danceable rhythms with sensitive […]
JJ 08/95: The Gibson ES175 / The Guitar Players / The Guitarist Book Of Guitar Players / Django's Gypsies - The Mystique Of Django Reinhardt And His People - Jazz Journal
Thirty years ago, Mark Gilbert enjoyed seeing the rubber grommet which appeared under the Gibson ES175's pickup selector switch in the late 50s given proper recognition
Reviewed: Andreas Haddeland Trio | Simon Jermyn | Johan Lindvall | Web Web - Jazz Journal
Andreas Haddeland Trio: Estuar (Tare Records TARE04CD) Much like the churning waters of the album’s title, Norwegian guitarist Andreas Haddeland’s music is a confluence of disparate currents. His expressive post-rock style assimilates the tonal and textural innovations of compatriots Terje Rypdal and Eivind Aarset, yet he is equally open to transatlantic influences including Nels Cline […]
Reviewed: Peter Johnstone International Organ Quartet | Deborah Silver | Jake Herzog - Jazz Journal
Peter Johnstone International Organ Quartet: Resistance Is Futile (self-released) The rare combination of Hammond organ and vibraphone is the surprise factor of a notable project by pianist and organist Peter Johnstone. Johnstone, a longstanding member of the Scottish Jazz Orchestra, blends his organ with the sophisticated sounds of veteran New York vibraphonist Joe Locke, not […]
Reviewed: Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington | Oscar Peterson - Jazz Journal
Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington: The Great Summit (Number One Essentials 291028) In the spring of 1961 the two greatest names in jazz were finally brought together in a combined recording project. The resulting LP is reissued here on vinyl, plus two unused bonus tracks from the original sessions, Solitude and It Don’t Mean A Thing. The […]
Reviewed: Miguel Zenón Vanguardia Subterránea | Fabia Mantwill Orchestra | Daniel Garbin - Jazz Journal
Miguel Zenón Vanguardia Subterránea: Live At The Village Vanguard (Miel Music MZ11) A jazz album recorded at the Village Vanguard club in New York is proof of having passed through the portals of a hall of fame. In saxophonist Miguel Zenón’s case it is perhaps overdue. He has redefined the term “Latin jazz” by combining […]
Reviewed: Ron Blake | Mark Masters Ensemble | Louis Stewart - Jazz Journal
Ron Blake: Scratch Band (7tēn33 Productions LLC002) Saxophonist Blake has in the past worked with both Art Farmer and Roy Hargrove, facts which offer more than sufficient clues as to his modern bop credentials. In the former instance Farmer was enjoying something of a comeback playing the “flumpet”, a flugelhorn/trumpet hybrid of his own design, […]
Scarlett Stone Trio at Bluebird Café, Wedmore - Jazz Journal
It’s always nice to discover a new (to you) venue and band that you want to visit and hear again. To be honest, I didn’t discover vocalist Scarlett Stone and her trio or the Bluebird Café in Wedmore, Somerset – I was tipped off by a friend who had seen the gig advertised online. Neither […]
Reviewed: Fred Hersch | Noah Haidu | Carol Liebowitz & Nick Lyons - Jazz Journal
Fred Hersch: The Surrounding Green (ECM 2836) Three American pianists are presented here for your pleasure, with first up Fred Hersch on what is now his third ECM release. His initial album for the label in 2022, The Song Is You, interestingly set him alongside Enrico Rava on flugelhorn, while 2024’s Silent, Listening was a […]
Reviewed: Danny Gatton And Funhouse: | The Haas Company | Laurence Juber - Jazz Journal
Danny Gatton And Funhouse: Live At The Holiday Inn 1987 (Gress Records) One of the most talented but paradoxically less famous guitarists, Danny Gatton was a true phenomenon. When other guitarists heard him, they described him as “The Humbler” – which was also the title of a posthumously released album, The Humbler with Robert Gordon […]
Reviewed: Candido | John Lee Hooker | John Coltrane Quartet - Jazz Journal
Candido: Conga Soul (Descarga Records 637012) Candido de Guerra Camero (Candido), along with Chano Pozo, is one of the best-known conga players to have brought that instrument into the mainstream of the jazz idiom. Candido himself played with Stan Kenton, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie amongst many others. He was often a “first call” percussionist […]
Lee Berk: Leading The Berklee Way - Jazz Journal
A talented musician, Lawrence Berk (1908-1995), the son of Jewish Russian immigrants, played piano professionally with various dance bands, aged just 13. He later attended MIT, graduating with a degree in architectural engineering. In the early 1940s, he became an authorised teacher of the Schillinger System developed by Joseph Schillinger, a Russian émigré and musical […]
Naissance De La Bossa Nova - Jazz Journal
The indefatigable Alain Gerber, now in his early 80s, has written (in the space of three months apparently) an exhaustive survey of bossa nova which roams far beyond the “birth” of his title. A hundred pages take us through the origins and “the founding fathers” (Vinicius De Moraes, Jobim and Gilberto) before another 30 introduce […]
Reviewed: Bugge Wesseltoft | Fujii Satoko | Michael Arbenz & Andy Sheppard - Jazz Journal
Bugge Wesseltoft: Am Are (Jazzland Recordings 377 970 5) Three pianists – two European and one Japanese – feature in this review digest. The first of them is the Norwegian keyboard player Bugge Wesseltoft. His new album is in the main performed by a series of three piano- and often synth-led trios, with a sombre […]