Latvian saxophonist and composer Toms Rudzinskis received the annual Latvian Music Records Award for Best Jazz Album of 2024 for “Interception”. The album on Jersika Records, run by Mareks Ameriks, who also produces most of the label’s albums, came out last October and is now finally available on vinyl too. There is this special dynamic…
Trumpeter Brandon Woody is set to release his Blue Note debut “For The Love Of It All” on May 9th. The Baltimore-based artist’s six original tracks will be available on colored vinyl, black vinyl, CD, and all digital platforms. The first single off the album, “Real Love, Pt.1”, out since yesterday, sounds exceptionally promising. Brandon…
Tunisian oud player and composer Anouar Brahem, with his brilliant mix of Arab classical music, Jazz, and Folk, will play three exclusive concerts in Germany as part of the successful JazzNights series, organised by Karsten Jahnke and now running for 25 years. Anouar has released his first album on the legendary German-based ECM label back…
After two brilliant albums on Edition Records, “Midnight Shelter” (2021) and “Still Life” (2022), both with pianist Romain Collin (who also just released his five-paw reviewed “Dust” LP), singer and songwriter Sachal Vasandani has moved on to Patron Saint International for “Best Life Now”, his seventh album. Produced by the great drummer Nate Smith (we…
Finnish soul singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer Bobby Oroza was in town yesterday. On a pretty cold Sunday night, Bobby played music from his two albums “This Love” (2019) and “Get On The Otherside” (2022), both released on Big Crown Records, the Brooklyn-based label which was started back in 2016 by Leon Michels of El…
French pianist Romain Collin, a graduate of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, has released his first solo album last month. Entitled “Dust”, the album came out on the UK-based Edition Records, where Romain already released two wonderful albums with singer Sachal Vasandani and which is one of the most reliable and interesting labels around….
LA-based ASHRR, consisting of Ethan Allen, Josh Charles, and Steven Davis, released their second album “Sunshine Low” on 20:20 Vision last September. Their not easily describable sound, a mix of Electronic, Alternative Soul, 80s New Wave, and Indie dance, was a pretty mixed affair on those 14 tracks. Enter Ron Trent, the now almost legendary…
We’ve reviewed singer Rondi Charleston‘s album “Resilience” back in October 2017, a brave and vulnerable work of art which came out on her own label, Resilience Music Alliance, which is also the home of her new album “Suspended In Time – A Song Cycle” with music of the great Fred Hersch. Since Rondi now has…
Singer and songwriter Madeleine Peyroux is currently on tour in Europe, supporting her latest album “Let’s Walk” which came out last summer. Accompanied by two superb collaborators, Jon Herington on guitar and Barak Mori on bass, Madeleine also included several songs from previous albums, dating back to her debut in 1996 with “(Getting Some) Fun…
Two of the most interesting artists which have accompanied us in the last 25 years, are coming to Europe for a few select dates this year. Singer, songwriter, producer, and musician Macy Gray released her debut album “On How Life Is” back in 1999. It was and still is an ear-opener which has become sort…