Amongst the many revealing insights in LJN’s recent interview with Fulvio Sigurtà (trumpet, flugelhorn/ link below) were his reflections on Wayne Shorter’s last great quartet (“the quintessence of risk, and therefore the quintessence of trust”). Sigurtà’s affection for the London [...]
Originally from Chicago and a former student of the AACM’s Mwata Bowden, Brooklyn-based baritone saxophonist and flautist Jonah Parzen-Johnson is a rare specialist in that most challenging of disciplines, the solo recital. Over the last decade or so he has [...]
Taking inspiration from “old creepy silent films and broken machines”, the darkly atmospheric music of Karja / Renard / Wandinger weaves a narrow path between free improvisation and contemporary composition. First coming together in Tallinn February 2020, the group comprises [...]
The story of the Matt Wates Sextet spans three decades and around a dozen recordings, and it’s a story which speaks as much to the enduring popularity of Hard Bop as to Wates’ considerable gifts as a composer and arranger. [...]
Saxophonist Matthieu Bordenave (b.1983, Tarbes, France) seemed to arrive fully formed with La Traversée, his 2020 debut for ECM. He had of course paid his dues for many years before arriving at this point, initially studying under classical saxophonist Christian [...]
Barely into his thirties, the career of Belgian pianist Bram De Looze (b.1991) has covered a lot of ground. First catching my attention with the energetic electro-jazz with LABTRio, his reputation became truly international with MiXMONK, where along with saxophonist [...]
If Fergus McCreadie is in any way burdened by the heavy weight of popular and critical expectation, this highly assured solo piano debut shows nothing of it. Often regarded as the improvising pianist’s ultimate challenge, the unaccompanied recital forces the [...]
To read more about the background to the music of up-and-coming Berlin-based quartet Leléka I’d heartily recommend both the fine review of the group’s 2022 album Sonce u Serci (“sun in the heart”) by our recently departed Alison Bentley, and [...]
Jazz can boast of a long tradition of artist-activists engaging with social justice causes, and when the music and the message are perfectly aligned, the results can be epochal. With Captivity, the Brooklyn-based musician, composer and educator Caroline Davis (alto [...]
Formed in 2010 by guitarist / composer Jon De Geest, John Ghost comprises Rob Banken (alto saxophone, bass clarinet, flute); Wim Segers (vibraphone, marimba, percussion); Karel Cuelenaere (piano, keyboards); Lieven Van Pee (bass) and Elias Devoldere (drums, percussion). All are [...]
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