Led by gifted trumpeter Jonathan Enser, Matters Unknown match serious chops with tender grooves. Yet, as Gail Tasker discovers their sound is also shaped by Enser’s disability and life-long battle with chronic pain
John Patitucci is widely recognised as one the great bass ‘doublers’, as adept on acoustic upright as he is on six-string electric. Back with Spirit Fall, his first solo album in six years, with power players Chris Potter and Brian Blade, Michael Jackson caught up with the busy bass maestro to find out more
The versatile trombone virtuoso Trevor Mires tells David Gallant about his journey into jazz and the instruments he’s played over the years
Stuart Nicholson takes another look at the 1950s US West Coast jazz scene – this time a lesser-known one, centered around LA’s Central Avenue and the city’s black players
Pianist Gwilym Simcock and saxophonist Emma Rawicz have teamed up together and seem to have found the ideal musical relationship straight out of the blocks with their debut duo album, Big Visit.
Sasha Berliner is at the leading edge of a new wave of vibraphone virtuosos, matching forceful attack with a sophisticated sound as both solo artist and collaborator with the likes of Christian McBride and Cécile McLorin Salvant. Jane Cornwell caught up with the vibist as she releases her latest album, Fantome
Norwegian trumpeter Mathias Eick tells Brian Glasser how a hugely celebrated album by fellow ECM artist Keith Jarrett provided him with a musical epiphany
What’s the album that changed your musical outlook? After much deliberation, the trumpeter Avishai Cohen tells Brian Glasser that it’s a classical record by a Russian concert pianist…
A new album, Some Days Are Better: The Lost Scores, breathes new life into previously unrecorded music by Kenny Wheeler, with an A-list cast including Chris Potter, Evan Parker and Norma Winstone. Alyn Shipton spoke to arranger/trumpeter Nick Smart to discover how this ambitious project came together
Featuring outstanding new releases from Yazz Ahmed, Marshall Allen, Ron Carter and more
