Robert Glasper‘s “In December” originally came out last year exclusively on Apple Music. It is one of the must-have Christmas albums, not only because of Robert’s excellent playing and production work, but also because of the very special vocalists he enlisted to guest on his holiday album. A mini-medley of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman”…
Here are two must-haves on the German ACT Music label: “Arcs & Rivers”, an album by Swedish award-winning pianist and composer Joel Lyssarides and Greek bouzouki player Georgios Prokopiou, based in Sweden, came out in late September. And today sees the release of the second duo album by Bill Laurance and Michael League. Both albums…
I’ve seen drummer/percussionist Abraham Rounds several times this year during Meshell Ndegeocello‘s residency at the North Sea Jazz Festival. He is not only a pretty energetic and emotional percussionist, but a great singer too. Which he proved on several occasions, like the night Meshell was celebrating the music of Gary Bartz and Eugene McDaniels. I…
Slowly but surely, Michael Mayo has built up his reputation as one of the most thrilling male voices around. I saw him back in 2022 at North Sea Jazz, then he could be heard on the brilliant Terri Lyne Carrington album “New Standards – Vol. 1” where he came up with a stunning version of…
We just want to let you know which album is currently in heavy rotation here in the Gina household: The Free Label, six multi-instrumentalists and vocalists from Toronto, will release their second album “Songs For Sienna” this Friday. It’s sort of a mixture between The Jack Moves and Mamas Gun, with a dose of Tom…
It’s his twenty-third album. The 81-year old Marcos Valle just completed another European tour. And he’s currently on tour in the US throughout mid October. He sounds as good as ever and his new album is once again produced by Daniel Maunick. It’s another impressive, stunning LP (yes it’s out on vinyl too), with a…
Brazilian singer, songwriter, guitarist, and arranger Joyce Moreno was in town yesterday. The legendary artist, whose first album “Joyce” from 1968 was recently re-released, and who is clearly one of the most important figures in the Bossa Nova, Samba, and MPB scenes of the last 50+ years, performed parts of her lengthy repertoire last night…
Citrus Sun, the group created by Incognito mastermind Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick, just released “Anaconga” last month, their fifth album, also available on double vinyl on Dome Records. Clearly their best album yet, the ten tracks pay tribute to Jazz-Funk and Fusion icons from the 70s and mixes things up with brilliant originals. First single, the…
I started out with Rotterdam-based producer Glimlip and Amsterdam-based guitarist Yasper and their group of Louk Cox on sax and flute, Noe Mina on trumpet, Delaney Nelom on keys, Freek Mulder on bass, and Junya on drums. Their group sound is an intoxicating lo-fi mix of jazz, soul, and electronica, heavily groove-oriented with intelligent themes…
I’ve been in for some very exciting treats yesterday on the second day of this year’s North Sea Jazz Festival. Mostly playing tracks from his beautiful LP “An Ever Changing View”, Manchester-based trumpeter, composer, producer and label owner Matthew Halsall and his 7-piece band opened the proceedings on the Darling stage. This whole show more…