Cautious Clay: Karpeh

Alwyn Robinson | Ambrose Akinmusire | Arooj Aftab | Cautious Clay | Daniel Pappalardo | Immanuel Wilkins | Joel Ross | Joshua Crumbly | Joshua Karpeh | Julian Lage

Ohio-born multi-instrumentalist Joshua Karpeh – aka Cautious Clay (yes, it’s a play on Muhammed Ali’s birth name) – is perhaps...

Reviewed by Mike Flynn in issue: December/January/2023/2024

Brad Mehldau: Finding Gabriel

Aaron Nevezie | Ambrose Akinmusire | Becca Stevens | Brad Mehldau | Charles Pillow | Chris Cheek | Gabriel Kahane | Joel Frahm | Kurt Elling | Lois Martin

Finding Gabriel signals a radical departure from Mehldau's very recent recording projects, namely his stellar acoustic trio's Seymour Reads the...

Reviewed by Selwyn Harris in issue: August/2019

Fabian Almazan Trio: This Land Abounds With Life

Member of both the Terence Blanchard and Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet, this Cuban jazz pianist's trio featuring Linda May Han Oh...

Reviewed by Selwyn Harris in issue: July/2019

Walter Smith III: Twio

Christian McBride | Eric Harland | Harish Raghavan | Joshua Redman | Walter Smith

Many listeners probably woke up to the patiently-spun, dry-toned lines of Texan tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III around 2011, on...

Reviewed by John Fordham in issue: May/2018

According To The Sound: In-Tension

Adam King | Adam Parry-Davies | Alex Fryer | Alex Hutchings | Ambrose Akinmusire | Gary Alesbrook | Jake Goldbas | James Carter | James Morton | Jim Barr

This is the second release from British ‘concept studio band’ According To The Sound, aka core duo, pianist Adam Parry-Davies...

Reviewed by Robert Shore in issue: October/2022

Tom Syson Sextet: Green

Ben Lee | David Ferris | Jonathan Silk | Lauren Kinsella | Tom Syson | Vittorio Mura

For the most part jazz is urban music. It thrives amid the clamour and the crush of cities, where people...

Reviewed by Thomas Rees in issue: August/2017

Marcus Miller: Afrodeezia

Adam Agati | Alex Han | Ambrose Akinmusire | Brett Williams | Chuck D | Cliff Barnes | Cory Henry | Etienne Charles | Keb’ Mo’ | Lalah Hathaway

If Marcus Miller's bustlingly brilliant previous album Renaissance documented the sheer power and excitement of his road-toughened live band in...

Reviewed by Mike Flynn in issue: May/2015

Jeremy Pelt: Griot: This Is Important!

Allan Mednard | Brandee Younger | Chien Chien Lu | Ismel Wignall | Jeremy Pelt | Vicente Archer | Victor Gould

In 1977, the American drummer Art Taylor's candid book Notes and Tones: Musician-to-Musician Interviews made waves for its mix of...

Reviewed by John Fordham in issue: May/2021

Wolfgang Muthspiel: Rising Grace

Ambrose Akinmusire | Brad Mehldau | Brian Blade | Larry Grenadier | Wolfgang Muthspiel

Line-ups don't come much more star-studded than this one, but it remains a fact that such endeavours in jazz often...

Reviewed by Stuart Nicholson in issue: Dec/Jan/2016/2017

Laila Biali

Ambrose Akinmusire | Ben Witman | George Koller | Laila Biali | Larnell Lewis | Mike ‘Maz’ Maher | Sam Yahel

The Vancouver-born vocalist, pianist and songwriter Laila Biali serves up an impressive ACT debut with a combination of mellifluous vocals,...

Reviewed by Peter Quinn in issue: February/2018