Reviews
Picking out a range of the essentials
Sarah Jane Morris, The Sisterhood 2, Fallen Angel ***1/2
Eminently listenable. The most jazz relevant track is the convincing Amy Winehouse tribute 'The Edge Is Where The Magic Is Found' -...
Tina Carr: Moon Over Mildmay ***1/2
A delightful sense of saudade, classic movie noir and more from singer Tina Carr whose lyrics also fit in seamlessly.
Mark Turner, Patternmaster, ECM ****
Bass rich quartet studio sounds from tender modernist the poet of the saxophone, Mark Turner. The American tangles up in blue meaningfully with...
Edgar Knecht, Colours of Europe, GLM ***1/2
'Beautiful Countries' stands out - it's a gem of a tune on this delightful chamber jazz outing shaped around piano & modular synth,...
John Hart, New Mantra, SteepleChase **** recommended
The new mantra is the same as the old one. Strum and hum along. Pleasurable originals, Monk, Leonard Bernstein and a whole lot...
Marius Neset, Time To Live, ACT ****
Impeccable, imaginative big band writing from the greatest Norwegian saxophonist since Jan Garbarek - pride of the great city of Bergen, Marius Neset.
Metropole Orkest, Arakatak, V2 Records **** recommended
Bursting with great writing, energy and vitality that snaps all notions of what a contemporary big band & crucially strings together should sound...
Talkline, Vortex, Dalston ***
Unusually fronted by a singer who plays vibes accompanied by double bass and piano, Talkline on this performance played originals and treatments of...
Shai Maestro, The Guesthouse, Naïve ***
There's plenty of spirit and a contemporary sheen to The Guesthouse. But Shai Maestro's latest doesn't quite engage as much as some of...
Carsten Dahl, Into the Storm, Storyville ****
Body and Soul, Caravan and more plus a wonderful reading of Blame It On My Youth.
Alex Hitchcock, Ant Law, Jasper Høiby, Sun-Mi Hong, House of Light, ZenneZ **** recommended
Formidable, probing, interrogative instrumentalism from a band of leaders. Post-bopper Alex Hitchcock is the sax genius of Chris Potter calibre quietly nestling in...
Shabaka, Of The Earth, Shabaka Records ***
This latest sprawling solo effort from Shabaka isn't at all the most essential item in the saxist/flautist's discography.
Live review: Nathan Carter, London Palladium, Soho ****
An entertaining evening as once in a generation country singer Nathan Carter has the London Palladium audience eating out of the palms of...
Mark Nightingale, Alan Barnes feat. James Davison, Jazz Classics… With A Twist, Woodville ****
Straight ahead sextet settings that set the bar high.
Pat Metheny, Side-Eye III+, Uniquity Music ****
A lovely album, Metheny sets the bar high as ever. But is it an album that has the weight of his widely acclaimed...
Jeremy Pelt, Our Community Will Not Be Erased, HighNote ***
Not as compelling as Pelt's 2025 album Woven
Sara Colman and Rebecca Nash, Ribbons Vol. 1, Stoney Lane ****
A brooding, serious work stocked with more than a few great moments.
- Finn Carter, Finding Home, Whirlwind **** recommended
- Gary Crosby Quartet featuring Cherise Adams-Burnett + Maddy Coombs trio, Blue Note, London ****
- Michael Kanan, Horacio Fumero and Guillem Arnedo, The Sweetest Sounds, Fresh Sound ***
- Jo Harrop, Love Now Pay Later, Lateralize ****
- The very best jazz vocals of 2026
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