Charlie Parker: Five Classic Albums

Al Haig | Art Taylor | Buddy Rich | Charlie Parker | Curley Russell | Dizzy Gillespie | Don Lamond | Hank Jones | Kenny Dorham | Max Roach

The second half of Parker’s studio output was all done for Norman Granz, including the famous Afro-Latin sessions that are...

Reviewed by Brian Priestley in issue: May/2020

Carlos Garnett: The New Love/Cosmos Nucleus/Let This Melody Ring On

Alphonse Mouzon | Anthony Jackson | Carlos Garnett | Cecil McBee | Guilherme Franco | Howard King | Hubert Eaves | Kenny Kirkland | Neil Clarke | Olu Dara

Although less well known than Billy Cobham, Carlos Garnett is the other Panamanian who came to prominence in the jazz...

Reviewed by Kevin Le Gendre in issue: May/2015

The Lightmen: Free As You Wanna Be

Bubba Thomas | Carl Adams | Doug Harris | Ed Rose | Joe Singleton | Kenny Abair | Mike O'Connor | Ronnie Laws | William Jefferies

Houston may be synonymous with hard-honking horn players and heavy duty R'B but it's worth remembering that neighboring Fort Worth...

Reviewed by Kevin Le Gendre in issue: October/2018

Mark Murphy: Midnight Mood

Ake Persson | Derek Humble | Francy Boland | Jimmy Deuchar | Jimmy Woode | Kenny Clarke | Mark Murphy | Ronnie Scott | Sahib Shihab

Here’s the premier male jazz vocalist of his day in assertive form in front of an octet taken from the...

Reviewed by Peter Vacher in issue: April/2022

Vince Mendoza & the London Symphony Orchestra: Epiphany

John Abercrombie | John Taylor | Kenny Wheeler | London Symphony Orchestra | Marc Johnson | Michael Brecker | Peter Erskine | Vince Mendoza

One of Ted Gioia’s most interesting articles in his Honest Broker substack posts is a piece he did on arts...

Reviewed by Stuart Nicholson in issue: August/2024

Samara Joy: Linger Awhile

Ben Paterson | David Wong | Kenny Washington | Pasquale Grasso | Samara Joy McLendon

Released last year on Whirlwind, Samara Joy McLendon's debut album announced the arrival of a remarkable new talent, a vocalist...

Reviewed by Peter Quinn in issue: October/2022

Spontaneous Music Ensemble: Withdrawal

Barry Guy | Derek Bailey | Evan Parker | John Stevens | Kenny Wheeler | Paul Rutherford | Trevor Watts

These important recordings represent some of the missing pieces in the Spontaneous Music Ensemble jigsaw that links their earliest recorded...

Reviewed by Edwin Pouncey in issue: September/2016

Donald Brown: Born to Be Blue

Donald Brown | Emily Mathis | Kenneth Brown | Kenny Garrett | Marcus Gilmore | Mark Boling | Ravi Coltrane | Robert Hurst | Rudy Bird | Vance Thompson

Donald Brown follows the classic Jazz Messengers recipe of strong horns, tight grooves and well-crafted arrangements and tweaks it with...

Reviewed by Mike Hobart in issue: July/2013

Oscar Pettiford: Oscar Pettiford 1958/1959

Attila Zoller | Dusko Goykovich | Hans Hammerschmid | Hans Koller | Hartwig Bartz | Helmut Brandt | Helmut Reinhardt | Jimmy Pratt | Johnny Feigl | Kenny Clarke

Pettiford is almost forgotten these days, despite being a huge influence on the next generation of bassists such as Paul...

Reviewed by Brian Priestley in issue: December/2020

Lou Bennett: Amen (& More)

The expatriate US organist on fine form in Paris in 1962 with Kenny Clarke and Jimmy Gourley, this mixes grits'n'gravy...

Reviewed by Alyn Shipton in issue: July/2017