Various Artists: Complete Dial Modern Jazz Sessions

Al Casey | Al Haig | Barney Kessel | Bill Harris | Charlie Parker | Chuck Wayne | Dexter Gordon | Dizzy Gillespie | Dodo Marmarosa | Don Lamond

The short-lived Dial label is justly hallowed, above all for seven studio sessions led by Charlie Parker. Started in early...

Reviewed by Brian Priestley in issue: July/2015

Chris Thile & Brad Mehldau

Brad Mehldau | Chris Thile

The first recorded fruits of this initially unexpected and seemingly improbable but by now well-established collaboration arrive over five years...

Reviewed by Robert Shore in issue: April/2017

Charles Mingus: Mingus Ah Um

Booker Ervin | Charles Mingus | Dannie Richmond | Horace Parlan | Jimmy Knepper | John Handy | Shafi Hadi | Willie Dennis

If you’re not intimately familiar with this music, waste no time familiarising yourself and, if you think you know it...

Reviewed by Brian Priestley in issue: March/2020

Ben Powell: New Street

Aaron Darrell | Devin Drobka | Gary Burton | Julian Lage | Powell | Tadataka Unno

No violinist could fully recapture the exultant genius that was Stéphane Grappelli, but tonally at least, Ben Powell comes darn...

Reviewed by Jack Massarik in issue: August/2012

Martina Verhoeven & Dirk Serries: Innocent as Virgin Wood

Dirk Serries | Martina Verhoeven

This understated duo-in-dialogue builds on the explorations of Serries' solo effort from last year, Etched Above The Bow Grip, a...

Reviewed by Spencer Grady in issue: October/2017

Steve Fidyk: Allied Forces

Steve Fidyk is an experienced full-bloodied Philly-bred drummer and he drives this energetic, good fun straightahead session of standards and...

Reviewed by Selwyn Harris in issue: October/2016

Gene Shaw: Quintet and Sextet: Break Through/Debut in Blues

You might know this trumpeter as Clarence Shaw from Mingus's Tijuana Moods, but after five years out of the limelight...

Reviewed by Alyn Shipton in issue: August/2017

Lukasz Pawlik: Long-Distance Connections

Cezary Konrad | Dave Weckl | Dawid Główczewski | Gary Novak | Łukasz Pawlik | Michał Kapczuk | Mike Stern | Phil South | Randy Brecker | Szymon Kamykowski

Originally self-released in Poland two years ago, Long-Distance Connections now gets an international release. Recorded across three continents - Pawlik’s...

Reviewed by Andy Robson in issue: November/2021

Paula Rae Gibson & Sam Leak: Permission

Probably the vocalist/award-winning photographer's best and most musical CD to date, in empathetic duo with pianist Sam Leak, his imaginative...

Reviewed by Selwyn Harris in issue: July/2018

Ray Gelato & The Giants: Wonderful

The spivvy-looking godfather of jump-swing trawls the Italian songbook (including Paolo Conte) to bring old entertainment values and cigar smoke...

Reviewed by Selwyn Harris in issue: February/2013