Kenny Mathieson

Michael Formanek - The Rub And Spare Change

7 Sep 2010

(ECM Records) Bass player Michael Formanek will be familiar to anyone who has followed the New York downtown scene, and his wide-ranging CV goes all the way back to his time in jazz-rock fusion group, Tony Williams’s Lifetime as an 18-year-old.

Raymond MacDonald International Big Band - Buddy

1 Sep 2010

(Textile Records) While saxophonist Raymond MacDonald’s International Big Band is on one level an extension of his work with the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, the musicians involved give the project its own distinctive stamp within the soundscape of…

Jacky Terrasson - Push

19 Aug 2010

(Concord Jazz) Pianist Jacky Terrasson initially came to prominence in 1993 as winner of the prestigious Thelonious Monk competition that year. After a long association with Blue Note, the pianist makes his debut on Concord with this release…

Céline Bonacina Trio - Way Of Life

19 Aug 2010

(ACT Records) It was one of the Munich-based label’s established stars, guitarist Nguyen Lê, who recommended French saxophonist Céline Bonacina to ACT, and he is a guest on four of the tracks on this debut album. Bonacina’s main instrument is the…

Arlo Guthrie

Folk runs in this family

12 Aug 2010

Following the same career as a famous parent can be a double-edged sword – a name can open doors, but it can also be a lot to live up to. Arlo Guthrie, son of folk legend Woody Guthrie, has carved out his own successful niche over four decades, but also…

Nnenna Freelon's Homefree adds a contemporary twist to standards

A smoothly accomplished, comfortable sounding outing

5 Aug 2010

Classy jazz singing from the American vocalist that manages to give a contemporary twist to standards without getting too mannered or precious in the process. Freelon puts her stamp on such well established songs as ‘The Lamp Is Low’, ‘The Very Thought…

NeWt play Led Zeppelin at the Jazz Bar

Hyper-imaginative and unconvential jazz trio

30 Jul 2010

What Is It? A hyper-imaginative and unconventional jazz trio formed by Australian trombonist Chris Greive, Aberdonian guitarist Graeme Stephens and American drummer Chris Wallace, all Edinburgh residents. Who are these guys? Three of the best…

Cindy Blackman - Another Lifetime

29 Jul 2010

(Four Quarters) Although she has worked in many jazz contexts, American drummer Cindy Blackman’s widest exposure has come as a long-standing member of Lenny Kravitz’s band. Tony Williams was the first drummer she ever saw, and this outing is a…

John Goldie's newest album Picked in The Past is a tribute to the artist's influences

The artist presents his musical roots in a series of 70s rock covers

22 Jul 2010

(Watercolour Music) John Goldie has earned a considerable reputation as a jazz guitarist, but his personal musical roots go back to 70s rock, and this is his tribute to that era, albeit played on acoustic guitar. It all started when he worked out a…

The Euan Burton / Tom Gibbs Group release debut album Forgotten Things

Two familiar figures in the Scottish Jazz scene launch new album at Glasgow Jazz Festival

22 Jul 2010

Bass player Euan Burton and pianist Tom Gibbs are already familiar figures among the younger musicians making an impression on the current Scottish jazz scene, and their debut album, launched at the recent Glasgow Jazz Festival, is a pleasing affair.

Richard Fairhurst's Triptych - Amusia

7 Jul 2010

(Babel Label) Richard Fairhurst won 1994 ‘Young Jazz Pianist of the Year’, and caught the ear with a series of albums with his group Hungry Ants, but has not really made the impact that his early emergence suggested. Nonetheless, he remains an…

Newt - NeWt 2 feat. Silke Eberhard

2 Jul 2010

(F-IRE Presents) The unconventional Edinburgh-based trio of trombonist Chris Greive, guitarist Graeme Stephen and drummer Chris Wallace already embraces three nationalities (Australia, Scotland and America respectively), and are augmented here by…

Tim Richards Trio - Shapeshifting

24 Jun 2010

(33 Records) This is Tim Richards’ first trio recording since 2003, and marks a return to jazz activity after taking two years out to study for a Masters in Composition. The pianist may be best known for his work in Spirit Level and the subsequent…

Stephane Kerecki Trio - Houria

24 Jun 2010

(Zig-Zag Territories) French bassist Stephane Kerecki occasionally recalls his countryman Henri Texier in his approach to combining group improvisation with composition, but he is very much his own man, and brings an intriguing mixture of influences…

Stan Tracey

1 Jun 2010

Back in 1997, the Glasgow Jazz Festival staged a special concert celebrating Stan Tracey’s 70th birthday. We wondered then how much longer the pianist would continue to perform. The answer is that he is beginning to look indestructible. Regularly…

Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra

1 Jun 2010

Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra have performed in Edinburgh a couple of times, but this closing night concert will be the Glasgow debut for the celebrated New York-based big band. They take their name from their base of…

Nat Birchall - Guiding Spirit

1 Jun 2010

(Gondwana) Nat Birchall is a saxophonist from the Manchester area, deeply in thrall to the example of John Coltrane, and especially Coltrane’s strongly modal 60s music. Even his tune titles carry a distinctly Trane echo, but it would be wrong to mark…

James Morton's Porkchop - Don’t You Worry ‘Bout That

1 Jun 2010

(Fresh Ground Records) Bristol alto saxophonist James Morton has worked regularly with Pee Wee Ellis (of James Brown fame), and clearly soaked up the American saxophonist’s soul-jazz-funk ethos. The dance-floor friendly grooves and soulful licks draw…

John Scofield & Vince Mendoza - 54

19 May 2010

(EmArcy Records) American guitarist John Scofield was a recent guest of the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra in a scintillating programme of arrangements of music from both Miles Davis’ electric phase and Scofield’s own jazz-fusion tunes. This album…

The Golden Age of Steam - Raspberry Tongue

19 May 2010

(Babel Records) Although the line-up of saxophone, Hammond organ and drums suggests the classic soul jazz units of the late ’50s and ’60s, The Golden Age of Steam is a very different beast. Saxophonist and clarinettist James Allsopp and drummer Tim…

Mr McFall's Chamber - Birds & Beasts

4 May 2010

(Delphian Records) A quintet of classical string players both thinking and playing out of the box, a jazz pianist and two drummers, and a piper with both folk and jazz leanings – it can only be Mr McFall’s. The music is equally eclectic – two…

Food - Quiet Inlet

21 Apr 2010

(ECM Records) Saxophonist Iain Ballamy’s Food has taken various forms over the years, but this latest edition is a duo with the band’s co-founder, Norwegian percussionist Thomas Strønen, familiar in these parts from collaborations with Phil Bancroft…

Loose Grip - Looking Glass

21 Apr 2010

(Fabrikant) This is the debut recording of an Edinburgh-based band led by Canadian drummer Chris Wallace, with John Burgess on tenor saxophone, Malcolm MacFarlane on guitar, and Sean Pentland on bass. The opening track, ‘The Fool’s Confidence’, has a…

Paul Motian - Lost In A Dream

14 Apr 2010

(ECM Records) Drummer Paul Motian has had a long and productive association with ECM that goes back almost to the inception of the label in the early 70s, and although the near-octogenarian no longer tours, he still performs in New York, where this…

Raphael Imbert Trio - N_Y Project

14 Apr 2010

(Zig-Zag Territories) Saxophonist Raphael Imbert is a new name to me, although Scottish audiences will get a chance to check him out first hand when he plays in Edinburgh at the end of the month. His previous work includes a project combining the…