Donald Byrd: Byrd With Strings

Clare Fisher | Donald Byrd | Doug Watkins | Jimmy Zitano | Julius Baker | Milt Hinton | Osie Johnson | Ray Santisi | Romeo Penke

Though not yet an innovator, Donald Byrd accurately reflected the mood of the time during which these recordings took place....

Reviewed by Roy Carr in issue: August/2013

Wayne Horvitz: The Snowghost Sessions

Eric Eagle | Geof Harper | Wayne Horvitz

Like his former playing partner and fellow concept-bender John Zorn, the Seattle-based player/composer Wayne Horvitz has walked a creative line...

Reviewed by John Fordham in issue: September/2019

Jimmy Giuffre 3 & 4: New York Concerts

Barre Phillips | Don Friedman | Jimmy Giuffre | Joe Chambers | Richard Davis

This is a surprise, the tapes of the two concerts having only come to light two years ago. Engineered by...

Reviewed by Brian Priestley in issue: July/2014

Album Interview: Georgie Fame: The Whole World's Shaking Complete Recordings 1963-1966

Colin Green | Dick Morrissey | Georgie Fame | Gordon Beck | John McLaughlin | Stan Tracey

A handsome five-disc package of all things Fame, including the re-mastered albums Fame At Last, the Motown influenced Sweet Thing,...

Reviewed by Andy Robson in issue: October/2015

The Johnny Almond Music Machine: Patent Pending

Alan White | Geoff Condon | Jimmy Crawford | Johnny Almond | Johnny Wiggins | Roger Sutton | Steve Hammond

A classic of its kind, capturing that emerging mix of jazz blues and rock that would create that special Brit...

Reviewed by Andy Robson in issue: Dec/Jan/2015/2016

Sylvie Courvoisier & Mary Halvorson: Searching For The Disappeared Hour

Mary Halvorson | Sylvie Courvoisier

Swiss pianist and long-term Brooklyn resident Sylvie Courvoisier, and NYC guitarist Mary Halvorson first recorded together in 2017, releasing the...

Reviewed by Daniel Spicer in issue: December/January/2021/2022

Eric Reed: The Baddest Monk

Eric Reed | Etienne Charles | Henry Cole | José James | Matt Clohesy | Seamus Blake

While not the baddest tribute ever to Monk, there are interesting things going on here, including the fact that pianist...

Reviewed by Brian Priestley in issue: November/2012

Art Van Damme: Ecstasy

The great accordionist is the latest artist in the revitalised MPS archive to have his work re-released, in this package...

Reviewed by Alyn Shipton in issue: March/2019

Jaga Jazzist/Britten Sinfonia: Live with Britten Sinfonia

Andreas Mjøs | Britten Sinfonia | Christian Eggen | Erik Johannessen | Even Ormestad | Lars Hornveth | Line Hornveth | Marcus Forsgren | Martin Hornveth | Mathias Eck

A quick glance across the personnel above – and the abundance of multi-instrumentalists crammed into unclassifiable Norwegian nine-piece Jaga Jazzist...

Reviewed by Mike Flynn in issue: June/2013

Melvin Sparks: Live at Nectar's

Recorded just months before his death in 2011, the legendary Texas-born guitarist bids farewell with a classic, if rather routine,...

Reviewed by Selwyn Harris in issue: July/2017