Yellowjackets with the WDR Big Band: Jackets XL

Bob Mintzer | Russell Ferrante | William Kennedy | Dane Alderson

Mintzer is a long-time associate of the WDR band. However, the Mack Avenue releases have emphasised the Jackets' small group...

Reviewed by Andy Robson in issue: December/2020

Devin Gray with Gerald Cleaver: 27 Licks

Student Gray and his mentor Cleaver have been in percussion discussions for a decade now; it's not for everyone, but...

Reviewed by Selwyn Harris in issue: December/2020

Ivo Perelman & Arcado String Trio: Deep Resonance

William H Roberts | Mark Dresser | Mark Feldman | Ivo Perelman

New York-based, Brazilian-born saxophonist Ivo Perelman's last pre-Covid date in London brought him together with several local singers and string...

Reviewed by Kevin Le Gendre in issue: December/2020

Rob Mazurek Exploding Star Orchestra: Dimensional Stardust

Jeff Parker | Joel Ross | Nicole Mitchell | Macie Stewart | Jaimie Branch | Mikel Patrik Avery | John Herndon | Tomeka Reid | Rob Mazurek | Damon Locks

Incredibly, Rob Mazurek has now been making music for more than 30 years. Emerging from the 1990s Chicago scene, he's...

Reviewed by Kevin Whitlock in issue: December/2020

Krononaut

Shahzad Ismaily | Arve Henriksen | Matana Roberts | Tim Harries | Leo Abrahams | Martin France

Yet another product of London's fertile left-field jazz scene, Krononaut is a collaboration between Eno guitarist Abrahams and France –...

Reviewed by Kevin Whitlock in issue: December/2020

Various Artists: New Horizons: A Bristol Jazz Sound

Alun Elliott Williams

In March 2020 (just before ‘you-know-what’) Bristol jazz promoter Worm Disco Club announced the launch of a record label to...

Reviewed by Tony Benjamin in issue: December/2020

Schlippenbach Quartet: Three Nails Left

Paul Lovens | Peter Kowald | Alex Schlippenbach | Evan Parker

Issued originally on FMP back in 1975, Three Nails Left is a pioneering document of European free improvisation – a...

Reviewed by Philip Clark in issue: December/2020

Simon Moullier: Sprit Song

The now Brooklyn-based French vibraphonist is a breath of fresh air with a jazz ensemble aesthetic that's organically grounded by...

Reviewed by Selwyn Harris in issue: December/2020

Ella Fitzgerald: Ella: The Lost Berlin Tapes

Paul Smith | Stan Levey | Ella Fitzgerald | Wilfred Middlebrooks

Ella: The Lost Berlin Tapes finds the First Lady of Song at the height of her inimitable powers. The majestic...

Reviewed by Peter Quinn in issue: December/2020

Dave Brubeck Quartet: Time OutTakes: Previously Unreleased Takes from the Original 1959 Sessions

Joe Morello | Dave Brubeck | Gene Wright | Paul Desmond

Time Out, lest anybody needs reminding, was the first platinum-selling album in jazz, and the 45 rpm single from it,...

Reviewed by Stuart Nicholson in issue: December/2020