Dan Blake: The Digging

The Brooklyn-based soprano-tenor saxophonist is the archetypal contemporary jazz musician recording with both Esperanza Spalding and Anthony Braxton's bands among...

Reviewed by Selwyn Harris in issue: August/2016

Charlie Pyne: Nature is a Mother

Charlie Pyne | Katie Patterson | Liam Dunachie | Luke Pinkstone

Singing female double bass players? Hmmm… well, there’s Esperanza, and, er… oh yes! - Charlie Pyne from North London. Forgive...

Reviewed by Peter Jones in issue: May/2024

Salif Keita: Talé

Aboussi Cissoko | Bobby McFerrin | Cyril Atef | Djeli Moussa | Esperanza Spalding | Hagar Ben-Ari | Haroun Samaké | Julia Sarr | Mamadou Kone | Mamane Diabaté

World music purists have been up in arms about this latest effort from Malian superstar singer Salif Keita, nicknamed the...

Reviewed by Jane Cornwell in issue: April/2013

Olivia Trummer: Fly Now

Kurt Rosenwinkel | Matt Penman | Obed Calvaire | Olivia Trummer

Combining a beautifully fluid rhythmic conception, a varicoloured harmonic palette and a knack for penning instantly memorable melodies, the German-born...

Reviewed by Peter Quinn in issue: Dec/Jan/2014/2015

Heidi Vogel: Lágrimas de um Pássaro

Ben Davis | Cleveland Watkiss | Gili Lopes | Heidi Vogel | Ivo Neame | Josue Ferreira

As George Bernard Shaw said, “In the right key one can say anything, in the wrong key, nothing”. From her...

Reviewed by Peter Quinn in issue: October/2011

Dianne Reeves: Beautiful Life

Christian McBride | Cyrus Chestnut | Hartford Symphony Orchestra | Isaiah Marquez-Greene | Jimmy Greene | Jonathan Dubose | Kenny Barron | Lewis Nash | Pat Metheny | Renee Rosnes

The inimitable Dianne Reeves is back with her first studio album for five years. Featuring an all-star cast, the overall...

Reviewed by Peter Quinn in issue: February/2015

Joe Lovano Us Five: Cross Culture

Esperanza Spalding | Francisco Mela | James Weidman | Joe Lovano | Lionel Loueke | Otis Brown | Peter Slavov

Lovano moves ever onward and upward, in terms of both commercial credibility and artistic maturity, and this third recorded outing...

Reviewed by Brian Priestley in issue: May/2013

Brian Landrus: For Now

Billy Hart | Brian Landrus | Drew Gress | Fred Hersch | Jody Redhage-Ferber | Joyce Hammann | Lois Martin | Michael Rodriguez | Sara Caswell

Nevada-born Brian Landrus is a specialist in basement-register instruments – baritone sax, bass clarinet, low-end flutes and more – and...

Reviewed by John Fordham in issue: June/2020

Laila Biali

Ambrose Akinmusire | Ben Witman | George Koller | Laila Biali | Larnell Lewis | Mike ‘Maz’ Maher | Sam Yahel

The Vancouver-born vocalist, pianist and songwriter Laila Biali serves up an impressive ACT debut with a combination of mellifluous vocals,...

Reviewed by Peter Quinn in issue: February/2018

In Common: Walter Smith III, Matthew Stevens, Joel Ross, Harish Raghavan and Marcus Gilmore

Harish Raghavan | Joel Ross | Marcus Gilmore | Matthew Stevens | Walter Smith III

Saxophonist Walter Smith III’s evocative low-lights tenor sound and drily quixotic irregularities of phrasing have already graced a fine album...

Reviewed by John Fordham in issue: Dec/Jan/2018/2019