Music, Records, Kenny Mathieson

Christian Scott: Christian aTunde Adjuah

Successful embrace of African ancestry in two disc album

Both the album’s title and the cover shot (showing the New Orleans trumpeter in ritual ceremonial dress) signal Scott’s attempt to embrace fully his African ancestry. Despite occasional longeurs across the two discs, he does so very successfully. His…

Gavin Barras Quintet: Day of Reckoning

(ASC Records) The title track on this debut album from Cumbrian bass player Gavin Barras is a direct response to last summer’s rioting, building from an apprehensive mood of foreboding into darker and more tangled territory. Elsewhere, his music is…

Alister Spence - Raymond Macdonald: Stepping Between The Shadows

Collaboration ranges from gentle lyricism to knotty abstraction

(Rufus Records) Australian pianist Alister Spence and our own Raymond MacDonald have been working together in various contexts for some time, and this duo recording reflects a strong musical empathy between the two musicians. The seven pieces for…

Alex Hutton Trio - Legentis

Sheffield-born pianist showcases folk and classical influences

Sheffield-born pianist Alex Hutton laid out his melodic and compositional strengths on his earlier Songs from the Seven Hills, and they are in evidence again here, but within a wider range of stylistic references. Hints of bands like E.S.T. or The Bad…

Hannes Riepler - The Brave

Austrian guitarist's debut album as player and composer

Austrian guitarist Hannes Riepler has been resident in London for half a dozen years now, and first caught my attention as a sideman with the Andre Canniere Sextet. This debut album as leader makes a strong case for his abilities as both player and…

Steve Kuhn Trio - Wisteria

Accomplished, crisp and cool recordings by Kuhn, Steve Swallow and Joey Baron

Pianist Steve Kuhn has worked with both bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Joey Baron in many contexts over several decades, but they had never played together in a trio setting prior to recording this last year. You would never guess that, though – they…

Oriole - Every New Day

Distinctly Latin-influenced sounds from the F-IRE collective

The latest offering from the ranks of the London-based F-IRE collective features music written by Oriole’s founder, guitarist Johnny Phillips, during a six-year stay in Cadiz. The distinctly Spanish/Latin melodic and rhythmic feel has an appealing…

Martin Speake & Colin Oxley - Two Not One

An album of light, buoyant jazz ballads, ideal in small servings

(Pumpkin Records) The airy combination of alto saxophone and guitar and a leaning toward ballad tempos gives the music on this duo outing a light, buoyant feel which does pale a little over the whole album, but works beautifully on any individual…

Kuljit Bhamra, Jacqueline Shave, John Parricelli - Postcards From Home

Cross-cultural fusion partly inspired by the Hebrides

(Keda Records) A fresh and deftly executed cross-cultural fusion featuring a tabla player with strong jazz connections, a classical violinist and a jazz guitarist, playing music inspired in part by the Hebrides. Violinist Jacqueline Shave’s ‘Machair to…

Various Artists - Cumbia Cumbia 1 & 2

Two-album reissue of classic compilations from 1989 and 1993

(World Circuit) The sinuous dance rhythms of the Colombian music known as Cumbia are captured in this nicely packaged and documented two-album reissue of two compilations regarded as the classics of the genre, which first brought Cumbia to wider…

Kenny Garrett - Seeds From The Underground

Alto saxophonist gives vibrant treatment to new compositions

(Mack Avenue Records) Here we find Kenny Garrett – a Detroit-born alto saxophonist who began his career performing with the Duke Ellington Orchestra before pursuing a solo career — in his most melodic vein, accompanied by a fine pianist, Benito…

Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra - Emergence

Ensemble playing and the soloing achieves a very high standard

(Spartacus Records) Tommy Smith set up (and funded) this orchestra to encourage the cream of Scotland’s emerging jazz talent to flourish, and it is clearly working. There are only occasional passages on this fine recording where you might guess that you…

Andy Sheppard, Michel Benita, Sebastian Rochford - Trio Libero

Highly compatible trio make album of lyrical material

(ECM Records) Saxophonist Andy Sheppard seemed a good match-up with ECM long before he actually made his debut with the label a couple of years ago. He now follows that release with this excellent trio project featuring Algerian bassist Michel Benita…

Weather Report - Live In Cologne 1983

Decent but inessential instalment of the legendary jazz troupe's back catalogue

(Art of Groove / Birdjam) This is the third in a previously unreleased sequence of very well recorded concerts featuring the band in Germany, and arguably the least essential, if only because the later phase of the band’s history was generally less…

Enrico Rava - Tribe

Great collaboration between Italians Rava, Gianluca Petrella, Giovanni Guidi and Giacomo Ancillotto

(ECM) The great Italian trumpet master and trombonist Gianluca Petrella are a well-proven combination, and are joined here by a new rhythm section for Rava’s regular group, led by the excellent Giovanni Guidi on piano, and augmented on three tunes by…

Empirical - Elements of Truth

Most diffuse and wide-ranging release to date

(Naim Label) Empirical’s drift away from their early bop-oriented leanings continues on their most diffuse and wide-ranging release to date. There is a deliberately spacey, dream-like feel to much of the music, referencing Messiaen and Björk…

Breach - On The Walk

Edinburgh-based trio's reflective, atmospheric textures and energised workouts

(Breach) This Edinburgh-based trio features three of the leading musicians on the current Scottish jazz scene, guitarist Graeme Stephen, pianist Paul Harrison focusing on organ and electronics in this setting – and drummer Chris Wallace. Each…

McCormack & Yarde Duo - Places and Other Spaces

Saxophone and piano duets display impressive empathy and mutual understanding

(Edition Records) Saxophone and piano duets are clearly all the rage this month. Pianist Andrew McCormack and saxophonist Jason Yarde approach the format with impressive empathy and mutual understanding on a set of original material by one or other…

Rob Hall & Chick Lyall - Blithe Spirit

Melodic compositions combine jazz, classical and folk

(FMR Records) Hall and Lyall are familiar figures on the Scottish jazz scene, and their third duo recording reveals an even greater refinement in their thoughtful, inventive music. Their melodic compositions combine jazz, classical music and a touch…

Jan Kopinski's Reflektor - Mirrors

Fiery avant-jazz energy and intensity from Pinski Zoo saxophonist

(33 Records) Jan Kopinski first came to prominence on the UK jazz scene with his band Pinski Zoo in the late 80s, and there is much of the fiery avant-jazz energy and intensity that lit up their music in this new album. Reflektor features the…

Alex Garnett - Serpent

Agile, fresh-sounding contemporary bop from English saxophonist

(Whirlwind Recordings) At just over 40, English saxophonist Alex Garnett has taken his time in making his recording debut as a leader, but in the interim has built a considerable track record in a wide variety of settings. That depth of experience is…

Wesseltoft Schwarz - Duo

Norwegian ‘nu-jazz’ guru and techno producer make ambient jazz-meets-dance

(Jazzland) The combination of piano and laptop computer would once have been pretty much the exclusive preserve of the free improv end of jazz, but Norwegian ‘nu-jazz’ guru Bugge Wesseltoft and techno producer Henrik Schwarz bring their collaboration…

Linley Hamilton - Taylor Made

Belfast trumpeter's bop-inspired work

(Lyte Records) There is some good jazz coming out of Ulster these days, and trumpeter Linley Hamilton is one of the people making it. His CV includes work with Van Morrison and Paul Brady as well as more mainstream jazz connections, and the choice…

Billy Jenkins - Jazz Gives Me The Blues

Virtuoso renditions of some of jazz and blues' finest

(VOTP Records) I suspect you either get Billy Jenkins or you don’t, with no half measures. The guitarist’s latest assault on our preconceptions about jazz, blues, guitar playing and life in general will please those in the first category, but…

Pascal Schumacher Quartet - Bang My Can

Subtly structured contemporary European jazz from vibes player

(Enja) The Luxembourg vibes player added Scottish saxophonist Konrad Wiszniewski to his quartet for some gigs late last year, and that extra bite that his horn brought to the music feels sadly missed now. That said, there is still plenty to enjoy in…