Emmet Cohen: Uptown in Orbit

Emmet Cohen | Sean Jones | Russell Hall | Kyle Poole | Patrick Bartley

If you don’t know the original Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith ‘Fingerbuster’, cut for Commodore in 1939, you might think that...

Reviewed in issue February/2023

Connie Han: Secrets Of Inanna

Connie Han | John Patitucci | Rich Perry | Bill Wysaske | Katisse Buckingham

Born in the US to Chinese parents, Han is 26 and already has three previous albums to her name. The...

Reviewed in issue Dec/Jan/2022/2023

Yellowjackets: Parallel Motion

Jean Baylor | Will Kennedy | Dane Alderson | Russel Ferrante | uncredited | Bob Mintzer

Enjoyable as the last two ‘Jackets albums have been - the vocals-rich Raising Our Voice, and the orchestral partnership with...

Reviewed in issue September/2022

Joey Alexander : Origin

Kendrick Scott | Gilad Hekselman | Chris Potter | Larry Grenadier | Joey Alexander

Even when he was still in his early teens, Joey Alexander’s touch was delicate and mature, and he played with...

Reviewed in issue July/2022

Christian McBride: The Q Sessions

Eric Harland | Christian McBride | Mike Stern | Marcus Strickland

Described as an EP (though it’s hardly shorter than some old-fashioned LPs), this set was originally set up as an...

Reviewed in issue June/2022

Christian McBride & Inside Straight: Live at the Village Vanguard

Peter Martin | Christian McBride | Carl Allen | Warren Wolf | Steve Wilson

McBride sets a good example for contemporary definitions of ‘inside playing’ and ‘straight-ahead feel’. His quintet also contains a cross-section...

Reviewed in issue December/January/2021/2022

Joey DeFrancesco: More Music

Lucas Brown | Joey DeFrancesco | Michael Ode

Joey DeFrancesco first emerged on to the scene as a ‘Hammond organ prodigy’ – he was invited to join Miles...

Reviewed in issue December/January/2021/2022

Erroll Garner: Symphony Hall Concert

Erroll Garner | Kelly Martin | Eddie Calhoun

As well as the comprehensive reissue programme of Garner’s albums for his dedicated imprint Octave Records (see Jazzwise 247, 252...

Reviewed in issue November/2021

Kenny Garrett: Sounds from Ancestors

Ronald Bruner | Vernell Brown, Jr. | Lenny White | Johnny Mercier | Maurice Brown | Corcoran Holt | Kenny Garrett | Dwight Trible | Rudy Bird

This is the fifth album by Garrett on Mack Avenue and it's impressive in its lines of input, ranging from...

Reviewed in issue September/2021

Steve Cole: Smoke And Mirrors

Smooth Jazz, although now confined to the niche, is painfully, yet somehow reassuringly, still with us; one of those still...

Reviewed in issue July/2021