Album Interview: Kit Downes & Tom Challenger: Vyamanikal

Tom Challenger | Kit Downes

The idea of a ‘genius loci’, or spirit of place, permeates these recordings of church organ, saxophone and indomitable avian...

Reviewed by Spencer Grady in issue: August/2016

Charles McPherson: Live In Tokyo

Leroy Williams | Sam Jones | Barry Harris

Mingus alumnus McPherson is one of many fine soloists whose own output is somewhat eclipsed by their sideman work with...

Reviewed by Kevin Le Gendre in issue: August/2016

Les McCann Trio: Live in Paris

André ‘Déde’ Ceccarelli | Enrico Pieranunzi | Hein Van De Geyn

What an incredible swinging pianist McCann was! Despite a piano that badly needs a tuner, this is another of those...

Reviewed by Alyn Shipton in issue: July/2020

Boris Kozlov: Conversations At The Well

Boris Kozlov | Rudy Royston | David Gilmore

What a lovely title for a cracking set of covers reinterpreted with imagination and passion by a tight-knit, technically adroit...

Reviewed by Mike Hobart in issue: August/2016

Bojan Z/Julien Lourau: Duo

Bojan Zulfikarpasic | Julien Lourau

The Serbian-born pianist/keyboardist Bojan Z and saxophonist Julien Lourau are both internationally acclaimed French-based jazz musicians sharing a background in...

Reviewed by Selwyn Harris in issue: August/2016

John Martin: The Hidden Notes/Spirit of Adventure

Tim Giles | Ralph Wyld | Tim Fairhall | John Martin | Rob Updegraff

For the past decade the London-based tenor saxophonist John Martin has trodden his own personal path, wary of fashionably hip...

Reviewed by Selwyn Harris in issue: August/2016

Jimmy Witherspoon: Live At The Renaissance/At Monterey

The famous 1959 Monterey session with Earl Hines, Webster and Hawk is the focus, plus a contemporaneous live date from...

Reviewed by Alyn Shipton in issue: August/2016

Finn Von Eyben: Plays Finn Von Eyben/Workshop and Radiojazzgruppen 1966-7

The larger Danish Radio Jazz Group star here, playing quite formal compositions by the free jazz bassist, creating some memorable...

Reviewed by Alyn Shipton in issue: August/2016

Slavia Ganelin/Alexei Kruglov/Oleg Yudanov:

Oleg Yudanov | Slavia Ganelin | Alexei Kruglov

Multi-reed player Kruglov has been an increasingly influential presence on the Russian, and indeed Baltic scene for the past decade,...

Reviewed by Kevin Le Gendre in issue: August/2016

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