marlbank

Bob Reynolds, Eddie Told Me So, Nosahu Records ALBUM OF THE WEEK ****

Compared to what? Feelgood no nonsense sax sounds empathetically accompanied from the Snarky Puppy sax honcho, paying tribute intelligently even while sidestepping core Eddie Harris material. Reader it works.

Malene Mortensen and Christian Sands Malene and Christian album cover 2026 Stunt Records

Malene Mortensen & Christian Sands – Malene and Christian (Stunt Records) Album Review (2026)

Peace loving: Not an album for cynics or war mongers. There's more to applaud than to denigrate on this vocals and piano shaped Danish and American collaboration of originals and standards like Gerry Goffin and Carole King's 'Go Away Little Boy' and Rodgers and Hart's 'I Didn't Know What Time It Was.'

Aadal, Aggressive Hymns, Energetic Ballads, Losen ***

A more than decent heart on sleeve affair with strong tunes by guitarist Michael Aadal and an agreeable Bill Frisell-like sound world. It's playing that isn't afraid to be melodic or give the tunes space when they need it.

Dave Holland, Norma Winstone, London Vocal Project, Vital Spark (Music of Kenny Wheeler), Edition ****

Modest reflection, tender, lost moments and even love in myriad forms, Vital Spark is apt and perfect. The recording includes, according to Edition, final Wheeler compositions that were sent over time to the London Vocal Project's director Pete Churchill.

Omar Ríos Meléndez and Alex Wilson, The Art of Deep Connection, Alex Wilson Music ****

Appealing Nicaraguan flavoured piano and guitar duets.

When I Return, The Weight of Bloom, Jazzland ***1/2

Nordic lightning in a bottle: The 7 secrete a vibrant, reedy ready to blossom collective sound that involves members of the Lightning Trio and Schemes.

On the rise – Hetta Falzon

Write it in nadsat if you prefer. But Alex and his droogs won’t get the music of Henrietta - mercifully. Fact rather than dystopian fiction. There’s an International Anthony Burgess Foundation Hetta Falzon show in Manchester in March marking the full release.

Inspired by Béla Bartók The W are to release Mikrokosmos

Following the example of Chick Corea, Bruno Heinen's The W are to release Mikrokosmos this spring zoning in on Book 6. What a pick-me-up.

Viktoria Tolstoy, Jacob Karlzon, Who We Are, ACT ***

A bit too bland for my taste - a vocals-piano album at its core that includes originals and treatments of well worn Billy Joel, Tori Amos and Radiohead songs.

Niklas Lukassen, Still Waters, Heartcore **** recommended

Extremely impressive debut from imaginative bassist and singer Niklas Lukassen whom you can hear play live later this week at London club the Vortex.

Melissa Aldana, Filin, Blue Note ****

Will it do for Filin what the Buena Vista Social Club did for son?

Tigran Hamasyan, Manifeste, Naïve Records ****

Mind blowing virtuosity, Armenian spiritualism, prog intensity. It can only be Tigran.

Hi, I'm Stephen Graham who puts the site together. The best way to get involved is to collaborate, take part in the conversation, stay connected, and share your suggestions or ideas for new sections. Head over to the contact page. Welcome, thanks for visiting. Set an alert to visit regularly and look out for regular new content. What's new today includes updates in the gig guide, a review of Eddie Told Me So - the new album of the week just released from Bob Reynolds - and this week's episode of the marlbank podcast to which you can subscribe on Spotify.

Elsewhere beyond the environs of marlbank based in the boreens, boglands and northern borderlands where us culchies habitually hunker down and gather with our bicycles by the crossroads on the way to the imaginary jazz clubs of our imaginations in some welcoming after hours shebeen ideally, I would like to heartily recommend Dermot Rogers' radio show that runs regularly on Dublin City FM. Dermot has a great speaking voice that means you won't be skipping the links between tunes as so often is the case when a touch of prattle-itis despoils the airways. Click on the image below to get the latest strongly flavoured Bill Evans episode.

Dermot mentions the new award winning film that has strong Irish connections, the Grant Gee directed Everybody Digs Bill Evans, which has recently been screened at the Dublin Film Festival.