Ralph Alessi: Imaginary Friends

Andy Milne | Drew Gress | Mark Ferber | Ralph Alessi | Ravi Coltrane

Ralph Alessi, the New York trumpeter whose improvisations glimmer with understated surprises, has made two earlier ECM recordings (2013’s Baida...

Reviewed by John Fordham in issue: March/2019

Jeremy Dutton: Anyone is Better Than Here

Ambrose Akinmusire | Ben Wendel | Daryl Johns | James Francies | Jeremy Dutton | Joel Ross | Matt Brewer | Mike Moreno

This vivid collection of originals, featuring contemporary-jazz luminaries including saxophonist Ben Wendel and much-acclaimed trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, is the leadership...

Reviewed by John Fordham in issue: September/2023

Gilad Hekselman: Ask For Chaos

Aaron Parks | Gilad Hekselman | Jonathan Pinson | Kush Abadey | Rick Rosato

Hekselman won the ‘Rising Star’ category in last year's annual DownBeat Critics Poll. With his sixth release, we get to...

Reviewed by Stuart Nicholson in issue: November/2018

Tower Of Power: Ain't Nothin' Stoppin' Us Now

Bill Lamb | Bruce Conte | Carol Rogers | Chester Thompson | Edward McGee | Emilio Castillo | Francis Rocco Prestia | Greg Adams | Ivory Stone | Lenny Pickett

The Tower's debut on Columbia found them parking the funkier edge of the early 1970s releases for an altogether more...

Reviewed by Andy Robson in issue: July/2017

Phineas Newborn: Fabulous Phineas

One of the seminal albums that established Newborn as one of the great keyboard talents, this shows him at the...

Reviewed by Alyn Shipton in issue: September/2016

Hailey Brinnel: I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles

Hailey Brinnel

There's a great spirit of fun on this disc from Hailey Brinnel, a young US vocalist, trombonist and arranger whose...

Reviewed by Robert Shore in issue: June/2021

Trombone Shorty: For True

Jeff Beck | Kid Rock | Ledisi | Lenny Kravitz | Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews | Warren Haynes

Mr Shorty calls it “supafunkrock”, and For True has all those elements in abundance: if you’re looking for a party...

Reviewed by Andy Robson in issue: November/2011

Album Interview: Cécile McLorin Salvant: The Window

Cécile McLorin Salvant | Melissa Aldana | Sullivan Fortner

A mix of studio and live tracks, the latter recorded at the Village Vanguard, the 17 songs of The Window,...

Reviewed by Peter Quinn in issue: Dec/Jan/2018/2019

Various Artists: Jazz At The Philharmonic Complete Live In Stockholm 1960

Art Davis | Benny Carter | Candido Camero | Cannonball Adderley | Chuck Lampkin | Coleman Hawkins | Dizzy Gillespie | Don Byas | Herb Ellis | JJ Johnson

It has never been a perfect world, but if it were, then commemorative stamps would be issued, coins struck and...

Reviewed by Roy Carr in issue: Dec/Jan/2011/2012

Shamek Farrah & Sonelius Smith: The World of the Children

Shamek Farrah

Another month, and yet another splendid Pure Pleasure reissue from Charles Tolliver and Stanley Cowell's pioneering Strata-East label archive. One...

Reviewed by Kevin Whitlock in issue: June/2021