Jazz Reviews
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Branford Marsalis Quartet - Dedicated to You
18th Sep 2026
Branford Marsalis and Dianne Reeves revisit the standards from John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman without attempting to recreate it. Reeves brings rhythmic freedom and poise, while Marsalis’s quartet balances spacious vocal arrangements with tougher instrumental pieces. Polished but never merely reverential, Dedicated to You honours Coltrane by allowing his music to support a distinct new partnership.
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Andy Sheppard - Salt Catchers
11th Sep 2026
Andy Sheppard joins pianist Rita Marcotulli and bassist Michel Benita for the spacious, drummerless Salt Catchers. Sheppard’s lyrical saxophone melodies unfold through chamber-like interplay with Marcotulli’s adventurous harmonies and Benita’s supple pulse, ensuring this reflective ECM recording gradually reveals fresh detail with each attentive hearing.
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Anita O'Day - Anita Sings the Most
10th Sep 2026
Anita O’Day’s 1957 meeting with Oscar Peterson produced one of her finest albums: a fast-moving set displaying her extraordinary rhythmic control, quicksilver phrasing and improvisational daring. We revisit this classic album, alongside her celebrated Newport appearance, which confirmed O’Day as one of jazz’s most distinctive singers.
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Stars Aligned - Frode Kjekstad Quartet
4th Sep 2026
Norwegian guitarist Frode Kjekstad reunites with tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander for a lively set rooted in blues, hard bop and the classic Hammond-organ tradition. With Roy Powell and Frederik Villmow completing the quartet, Stars Aligned combines muscular soloing, close interplay and an unpretentious approach with the pleasure of swinging hard.
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Tuva Bergenheim - Skärgårdsjazz
28th Aug 2026
Swedish drummer and composer Tuva Bergenheim’s debut, Skärgårdsjazz, draws on summers spent in the Stockholm archipelago. Blending contemporary jazz with pop, visa and Nordic folk, its songs balance warmth with melancholy. Emmalisa Hallander’s vocals and Per ‘Texas’ Johansson’s reeds help shape an assured, concise album rooted in place and memory.
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Lennie Tristano - Lennie Tristano & The New Tristano
26th Aug 2026
Lennie Tristano remains one of jazz’s most fascinating modernists. This Classic Recording feature pairs his two landmark Atlantic albums: the fiercely chromatic, technologically adventurous Lennie Tristano and the subtler solo-piano set The New Tristano. Together, they reveal an uncompromising improviser whose influence extends far beyond his relatively small recorded legacy.
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Windflower - Ayumi Tanaka
21st Aug 2026
Another ECM delight, with Ayumi Tanaka, Thomas Morgan and Thomas Strønen recorded together for the first time in a reflective and poignant trio project.
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Windflower
Ayumi Tanaka, Thomas Morgan, Thomas Strønen
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Sonny Rollins - Way Out West
19th Aug 2026
Sonny Rollins strips away the piano to cultivate a hard-bop piece of brilliance. Backed by West Coast legends Ray Brown and Shelly Manne, his playfulness and thematic brilliance shine through on every track.
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Jon Batiste and Thelonious Monk
14th Aug 2026
The Grammy-winning pianist tackles the next composer in his transformational musical series: Thelonious Monk.
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Blue Shoes - Sigurður Flosason
7th Aug 2026
The Icelandic saxophonist blends Nordic jazz with a dose of the blues in his latest project, accompanied by his talented ensemble.
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Hull Suite Live - Zoe Rahman
31st Jul 2026
The remarkable pianist delivers once more in her live performance of the commissioned Hull Suite, captured from London’s Vortex jazz club.
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Kenny Burrell Celebrates 95th Birthday - Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane
29th Jul 2026
This 1958 hard bop classic brilliantly pairs Kenny Burrell’s bluesy guitar approach with John Coltrane and his unmistakable style. Backed by an all-star rhythm section, this remains as an essential album to keep on rotation.
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Live at Falkoner Theatre Copenhagen 6th February 1966 - Ella Fitzgerald
24th Jul 2026
A new unreleased recording from 1966 spotlights the First Lady of Song at a concert in Copenhagen, accompanied by the Duke Ellington Orchestra and Jimmy Jones Trio.
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Sometime Ago (Live in Germany 1972) - Chick Corea
17th Jul 2026
An archived recording from the legendary pianist is being released for the first time, capturing a live solo piano performance in Germany, 1972.
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Sometime Ago (Live in Germany 1972)
Chick Corea
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Be Quiet – Nils Petter Molvær
10th Jul 2026
The latest album from the Norwegian trumpeter is a collaborative affair in this collection of recordings from around the globe, featuring a range of high-profile guests.
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Misterioso - Thelonious Monk
4th Jul 2026
Misterioso captures the Thelonious Monk Quartet at the absolute peak of their radical, live powers during a legendary August 1958 residency at the Five Spot Café.
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The Myth We Choose - Nduduzo Makhathini
3rd Jul 2026
A deeply spiritual and richly collaborative release, The Myth We Choose finds the pianist and composer weaving jazz, Zulu philosophy, and fearless improvisation into one of his most compelling statements yet.
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Norma Winstone - A Timeless Place
26th Jun 2026
Jazz vocal genius Norma Winstone returns to present her latest album - an archived 1990 radio broadcast featuring sweeping orchestral arrangements from Steve Gray and the NDR Radiophilharmonie.
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Fred Hersch & Mick Goodrick - Feebles, Fables & Ferns
19th Jun 2026
A previously unreleased recording from the ECM archives chronicles a one-time session between the prolific pianist Fred Hersch and jazz guitarist Mick Goodrick.
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Feebles, Fables & Ferns
Mick Goodrick (guitar), Fred Hersch (piano)
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Slo-Mo Neon Luminate Hoverings - Mary Halvorson & Ambrose Akinmusire
12th Jun 2026
Two of the most pioneering improvisers of avant-garde jazz unite for the first time, releasing an album that builds on their shared approach to experimental improvisation.
