Reviews
Picking out a range of the essentials
Caleb Wheeler Curtis, Incantation, Imani ****
Jason Moran contributes meaningfully to this thoughtful recording
Matt Garcia, Three’s Up, SteepleChase ***1/2
An ideal introduction to a bebop loving saxophonist possessive of bags full of personality
Billy Mohler, Covell, Contagious Music ****
Very, very, very cool - there's little to cavil about Covell
Various Artists, Now’s the Time: An Anthology of Contemporary Chinese Jazz (Vol. 1), Blue Note Records China ***
I'm still not that much the wiser about Chinese jazz despite the best efforts of this marketing exercise
Aki Takase and Daniel Erdmann, Timeless, Enja Yellowbird ***1/2
Seek out 'Suiteki' especially in a blend that factors in Monk, Schubert and free improvisation
Jon Regen, Live in London, Jon Regen Music ***1/2
Reaches the places a cardboard cut out standing in for being there can't
Russell Gunn & Blackhawk, Afrikan-Amerikan Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth By Any Means Necessary, Vanglorious Arts ***1/2
Gratefulness to the dead, belief in the living - hope
Sarah Tandy, Delicious Capricious, via Kartel ****
A largely successful blend of jazz rock fusion with psychedelic funk, hip-hop, soul and electronic production
Joey DeFrancesco, Live at Keystone Korner, Mack Avenue Records ****
Feel the flow. The sound of Joey DeFrancesco will never be forgotten thanks to great live albums like this
Blair & Huber’s Eclipse: bold Eurojazz high
Top Eurojazz in 26 to bet on. After a stirring EP, Eclipse ups the ante immeasurably.
Ricardo Toscano and João Paulo Esteves da Silva, The Third Beside Us, Artway ****
Brooding duo reveries that straddle chamber jazz and the avant-garde
Tyler Henderson, The Long Game, Cellar Music ***1/2
Accomplished piano trio driven originals plus a Jimmy Van Heusen evergreen found in the blend
Zawinul Legacy Band 3.0, Live At Grafenegg, Ropeadope ***1/2
Compositions that are built to last played by players who are closer to the source than most
Finn Carter, Finding Home, Whirlwind **** recommended
Remember exactly where you are and how you felt when you first heard these remarkable sounds
Sarah Heneghan, Tiny Sacred Gaps ***
Modesty and reserve speak volumes in this pared back recording
Sharp Little Bones, Step Up! Get Down! Full Beam Music ***
Originals that tap a certain reflectiveness
Rahsaan Barber, Eternal, Jazz Music City Records ***1/2
More-ish straightahead listening borne out of loss transformed into light
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