Sam ‘The Man’ Taylor: Sax Supreme: The Singles and Albums Collection 1949-58

brass | Budd Johnson | Charlie Shavers | Claude Cloud | Dick Hyman | Frank Rehak | Freddie Washington | Hank Jones | Haywood Henry | Leroy Holmes

Not much remembered these days, Taylor was the direct predecessor of King Curtis, in terms of building a solo reputation...

Reviewed by Brian Priestley in issue: September/2023

Duke Ellington Orchestra: Big Bands Live

Billy Strayhorn | Buster Cooper | Cat Anderson | Chuck Connors | Cootie Williams | Duke Ellington | Harry Carney | Herbie Jones | Jimmy Hamilton | John Lamb

Ellington's last European tour for Norman Granz had him sharing the bill with Ella Fitzgerald, but (apart from a long-gone...

Reviewed by Brian Priestley in issue: June/2012

John Coltrane: Mono

Art Taylor | Charlie Haden | Connie Kay | Don Cherry | Elvin Jones | Freddie Hubbard | Hank Jones | John Coltrane | McCoy Tyner | Paul Chambers

This is a valuable collection, despite one obvious flaw which we'll come to in a sec. Although we've had the...

Reviewed by Stuart Nicholson in issue: August/2016

Curtis Fuller: Four Classic Albums

The collective personnel above mask a series of Fuller’s ‘name’ albums made, respectively and in sequence, for Blue Note (The...

Reviewed by Peter Vacher in issue: February/2020

The Comet Is Coming: Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery

Dan Leavers | Max Hallett | Shabaka Hutchings

The Comet Is Coming's name alludes to apocalypse and a sense of human proportion in the cosmos, diving into religious...

Reviewed by Nick Hasted in issue: May/2019

Various Artists: Selected Signs III – VIII

Avro Pärt | Betty Olivero | Eleni Karaindrou | Evan Parker | Giya Kancheli | György Kurtág | Heiner Goebbels | Jan Garbareck | Keith Jarrett | Kim Kashkashian

When we think of the classic record labels of jazz, thoughts may first turn to American independents such as Contemporary,...

Reviewed by Stuart Nicholson in issue: Dec/Jan/2013/2014

Doug Webb: The Message

Bob Reynolds | Brian Charette | Charles Ruggiero | Doug Webb | Greg Osby

Berklee-trained Webb, now 62, has been a busy presence in the LA film and TV soundtrack studios for ages, with...

Reviewed by Peter Vacher in issue: June/2022

Fabien Mary & The Vintage Orchestra: Too Short

Andrea Michelotti | David Sauzay | Didier Havet | Dominique Mandin | Erick Poirier | Fabien Mary | Florent Gac | Jean-Francois Devèze | Jerry Edwards | Julien Ecrepont

French trumpeter-arranger Mary is best known as a small group leader but also plays regularly in the top Parisian big...

Reviewed by Peter Vacher in issue: October/2021

Preservation Hall Jazz Band: 50th Anniversary Collection

Andrew Bird | Del McCoury band | Pete Seeger | Preservation Hall Jazz Band | Richie Havens | Tom Waits

Here's an elegantly presented 4-CD box set documenting the PHJB's history over the first half-century of its existence. Tulane University's...

Reviewed by Peter Vacher in issue: Dec/Jan/2012/2013

Ibrahim Maalouf: Trumpets of Michel Ange

Endea Owens | François Delporte | Golshifeth Farahani | Hafsatou Saindou | Ibrahim Maalouf | Julien Tekeyan | Manel Girard | Matthieu Chedid | Mihai Pîrvan | Mohamed Derouich

Maalouf was a Francophone phenomenon even before Quincy Jones’ regal blessing and a Grammy-nominated album with Angélique Kidjo, drawing on...

Reviewed by Nick Hasted in issue: October/2024