Emilio Solla y La Inestable de Brooklyn: Second Half

Alex Norris | Victor Prieto | Emilio Solla | Eric Doob | John Ellis | Ryan Keberle | Pablo Assan | Meg Okura | JP Joffre | Tim Armacost

Solla is Argentinian-born but based in New York and has led his nine-piece orchestra there with these first-call players since...

Reviewed by Peter Vacher in issue: September/2015

Art Blakey: Blues March

Joe Gordon | Doug Watkins | Miles Davis | Bill Hardman | Donald Byrd | Freddie Hubbard | Benny Golson | Ray Bryant | Thelonious Monk | Curtis Fuller

This appears to have been compiled by a blindfolded man with a large hatpin. Is it supposed to be an...

Reviewed by Roy Carr in issue: September/2015

Barry Harris: Plays Tadd Dameron

Leroy Williams | Barry Harris | Gene Taylor

Greatly valued as an educator, Harris is also one of the great post-Powell bebop pianists who resisted the onset of...

Reviewed by Kevin Le Gendre in issue: September/2015

Larry Carlton: Strikes Twice/Sleepwalk/Friends

Don Freeman | John Ferraro | Al Jarreau | Brian Mann | Joe Porcaro | Marcus Miller | Greg Mathieson | Larry Carlton | Steve Gadd | Pops Popwell

Carlton, like Lee Ritenour, carved his niche long ago as session hero and sideman extraordinaire (c'mon, Steely Dan and The...

Reviewed by Andy Robson in issue: September/2015

Jimmy Heath: Picture of Heath

Jimmy Heath | Billy Higgins | Sam Jones | Barry Harris

It only takes a couple of choruses of ‘For Minor's Only’ to realise that this is going to be a...

Reviewed by Mike Hobart in issue: September/2015

John Russell, Phil Durrant, John Butcher: Conceits-1987 & 1992

Phil Durrant | John Butcher | John Russell

Originally released in 1988, this is a landmark album in free improv. Though all three have made wonderful music in...

Reviewed by Marcus O'Dair in issue: September/2015

Michael Gibbs and the NDR Big Band: Play A Bill Frisell Set List

Sandra Hempel | Ingolf Burkhardt | Adam Nussbaum | Ingmar Heller | Peter Bolte | Frank Delle | Dan Gottshall | Christof Lauer | Stefan Lottermann | Gene Calderazzo

Two significant and, more importantly, outrageously enjoyable releases from three parties whose relationship goes back four decades. The only wonder...

Reviewed by Andy Robson in issue: September/2015

Morten Haxholm Quartet: Viridian

A pair of fi ne-sounding CDs featuring bands led by Danish bassist Morten Haxholm, his quintet featuring guitarist Lage Lund...

Reviewed by Selwyn Harris in issue: September/2015

Maria Schneider Orchestra: The Thompson Fields

Donny McCaslin | Mike Rodriguez | Jay Anderson | George Flynn | Dave Petro | Rogerio Boccato | Greg Gisbert | Ryan Keberle | Clarence Penn | Tony Kadleck

This programmatic set of eight original compositions by Maria Schneider, evoking her childhood and early adolescent memories of the middle...

Reviewed by Stuart Nicholson in issue: September/2015

David Benoit featuring Jane Monheit: 2 in Love

Mainstream easy listening fodder from the Grammy-nominated pianist Benoit who's joined by the Grammy-nominated vocalist Jane Monheit on MOR pop...

Reviewed by Selwyn Harris in issue: September/2015