Art ‘Turk’ Burton and Congo Square Spirits featuring Ari Brown: Then and Now

Over 30 years separates the two earthy, raw-edged sessions featured on this CD. They have in common conga-playing leader Art...

Reviewed by Mike Hobart in issue:

Josh Kyle/Sam Keevers: Songs Of Friends

Josh Kyle | Sam Keevers

This follow-up to his terrific 2011 debut, Possibilities, sees Australian vocalist Josh Kyle back on home soil following an extended...

Reviewed by Peter Quinn in issue: February/2015

Michael Dease: Decisions

Glenn Zaleski | Michael Dease | Rodney Whitaker | Tim Green | Ulysses Owens

This is arguably the best straightahead – but totally modern – CD of the year for this reviewer. Dease now...

Reviewed by Tony Hall in issue: November/2015

Tommy Flanagan: Four Classic Albums

Sadly underrated during his lifetime but not by musicians, Tommy Flanagan was a Detroit pianist who combined slick technique with...

Reviewed by Jack Massarik in issue: February/2020

Southern Energy Ensemble: Southern Energy

Adolphus Maples | Al Ciarte | Garrie Wayne | Judith Spears | Marvin Daniels | Michael Pitt | Nathaniel Lee | Tony Joyner | Veronica Jones | William Johnson

Southern Energy Ensemble only released this one album but, for the sake of context, you can slot it into the...

Reviewed by Daniel Spicer in issue: Dec/Jan/2012/2013

Gil Scott-Heron: Pieces Of A Man: 50th Anniversary Edition

Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie | Brian Jackson | Burt Jones | Gil Scott-Heron | Hubert Laws | Johnny Pate | Ron Carter | string section

A landmark in jazz and in 1970s American black music more generally, Pieces Of A Man represented a quantum leap...

Reviewed by Kevin Whitlock in issue: March/2023

Tuba Skinny: Magnolia Stroll

Barnabus Jones | Craig Flory | Erika Lewis | Greg Sherman | Jason Lawrence | Max Bien-Kahn | Robun Rapuzzi | Shaye Cohn | Todd Burdick

There’s a reason that traditional jazz bands abandoned the tuba in the late 1930s, which is that it constipates the...

Reviewed by Alyn Shipton in issue: July/2022

Miles Davis Quintet with John Coltrane: Live in Saint Louis

John Coltrane | Miles Davis | Paul Chambers | Philly Joe Jones | Red Garland

This genuinely rare item is not to be confused with the more frequently reissued 1963 St. Louis set included as...

Reviewed by Brian Priestley in issue: June/2014

Tony Allen/Hugh Masekela: Rejoice

Elliot Galvin | Hugh Masekela | Joe Armon-Jones | Lekan Babalola | Lewis Wright | Mutale Chashi | Steve Williamson | Tom Herbert | Tony Allen

In which two giants from the Motherland meet on earth, then reconvene remotely. Tony Allen: kit drummer and co-creator of...

Reviewed by Jane Cornwell in issue: May/2020

Samuel Eagles' SPIRIT: Ask, Seek, Knock

Dave Hamblett | Duncan Eagles | Jean Toussaint | Max Luthert | Ralph Wyld | Sam Leak | Samuel Eagles

Young British altoist Samuel Eagles is a strong player with a rich sound and a fondness for bubbling, double-time runs....

Reviewed by Thomas Rees in issue: July/2017