Anyone who knows Norwegian saxophonist Marius Neset for his jazz-classical crossovers is in for a surprise with Cabaret – a joyous, often boisterous album that sounds deeply inspired by eighties fusion music such as Weather Report and Michael Brecker-era Steps [...]
Compiled by Colin Harper and Jon Harrington, with an introductory essay by Duncan Heining and notes on the selections by Lois Wilson, this 3 CD, 48 track compendium of British (well, mainly English) jazz and jazz-rock is – as collections [...]
It’s easy to get angry about the state of music and its fascination with bandleaders over bands, backstories over music, pictures over sound. People like Marshall Allen (is there anyone else like him?) should keep us all hopeful. Making his [...]
Rachael Cohen’s alto sax playing just gets better and better. How can it be that she hasn’t recorded an album in her own name since 2012? On Friday evening she called a very slow ballad tempo for “Tea for Two” [...]
This was a marathon. A remarkable marathon. As the lights dimmed, percussionist Tyshawn Sorey led out his illustrious trio partners, pianist Aaron Diehl and bassist Harish Raghavan, and set out his terms of engagement. ‘It’s gonna be a long set,’ [...]
The last time LJN/UKJN covered Sambroso Sambroso was – and I am ashamed to admit it – in 2017 when he hosted the closing party at The Forge in Delancey Street, Camden (LINK BELOW). Dan Bergsagel summed up the tone [...]
The subject of this welcome biography, of course, would tell us that a book about him would interest scarcely anyone, and that his playing left much to be desired, although he might have written one or two worthwhile compositions. Kenny [...]
Glasgow-based saxophonist Brian Molley has forged strong links with India. His quartet’s previous album, Intercontinental, released in 2022, was a collaboration with percussionist Krishna Kishor, who recorded his contributions remotely in Chennai due to the covid epidemic. This latest release [...]
First, a disclaimer: It’s impossible for me to talk about Jim Mullen without being entirely subjective. He’s quite simply been my favourite guitarist and a hero of mine for 40 years. When I was about 18 I went to see [...]
It is always interesting to listen to an artist who challenges being pigeonholed into a particular genre or style. Belgian-Japanese pianist Alex Koo’s new album surprises you from one track to the next, while at the same time assuring the [...]
