Concord ***
Taylor Eigisti (p, kys), Julian Lage (g), Reuben Rogers (b), Eric Harland (d), Harish Raghavan (b) and Aaron McLendon (d) plus Joshua Redman (s), Edmar Castaneda (Columbian Harp), Dayna Stephens (ts), Ben Wendel (ts) and Evan Francis (fl). Rec. date not stated

26.06.08

Blue Note 91532    ***
Blanchard (t), Brice Winston (ts, ss), Aaron Parks (p), Derrick Hodge (b, el b), Kendrick Scott (d, perc), Zack Harmin (tables) and Northwest Sinfonia (strings). Rec. 2006

The soundtrack to Spike Lee’s Hurricane Katrina documentary When The Levees Broke is, as one would imagine, an intensely moving affair. Blanchard, a native New Orleansian, must have been affected by the devastation of the iconic city with as much intensity as anybody and turns in one of his best performances on record to date. His playing is wounded, anguished, gracious and sublime, his tone finely wrought and clearly enunciated, pushing at emotional peaks with compelling conviction. 29.08.07

Cake ***
Jake McMurchie (s, gong), Pete Judge (t, glockenspiel), Jim Barr (b, vb), Clive Deamer (d), Adrian Utley (g), Tammy Payne (v) and Gina Griffin (vln). Rec. 2007

27.03.08

Grappa GRCD4254    ****
Kanchman Babbar (fl), Kjetil Møster (saxes), Fateh Ali (Sitar), Erlend Slettevoll (p), Steinar Raknes (b), Prasenjit Mitra (Tabala) and Espen Aalberg (d). Rec. date not stated 25.10.07

Smalltown Superjazz (STSJ105CD) | ****
Mats Gustafsson (as, bar s), Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (b), Paal Nilssen-Love (d, perc) and Ken Vandermark (ts). Rec. April 21 2007 29.05.08

A DeMille like cast of musicians surrounds kora (harp-lute) master Toumani Diabate on this extraordinary, must-have album. Fifty third in a line of master Malian kora players, guardian of a illustrious musical heritage, Diabete has long showed an eagerness to venture along the side tracks of his ancestors. 07.04.06

Promo PM CD 006    ***
Gurtu (tabla, d, perc. fl, v), Carlo Cantini (v, dilruba, recorder, kalimba), Valentino Corvino (v) Sandro Di Paolo (vla) and Sefano Dall’Ora (b, ukelele). Rec. 2006

From his work with the African Divas to house producer Robert Miles, Gurtu has been nothing if not eclectic in the last few years, making a mockery of the Indo-jazz maestro epithet often lazily slapped on him. He can bring a great deal of rhythmic trickery and textural finesse to just about any situation and this meeting with the Arke String quartet is no exception to the rule. It’s not so much what Gurtu plays as what he doesn’t play that impresses here.
19.02.07

Proper Properbox-117    ****

Hayes (ts, vib, flt), with the orchestras of Vic Lewis, Jack Parnell and Vic Feldman plus his own quintet, big band and the Jimmy Deuchar Ensemble and Dizzy Reece Quintet. Rec. 1954-56 20.03.07