Jazz Reviews
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The Music of Donald Byrd
13th Sep 2021
We delve into the vast catalogue of the prolific trumpeter, picking out some of our favourites from his early bebop beginnings with the Jazz Messengers to later jazz-funk experiments.
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Sonny Clark - Cool Struttin'
12th Jul 2021
One of the many products of an incredibly fruitful period for Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin' is one of the best works from the pianist whose life was sadly cut short.
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Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo's Cubano-Bop
5th Jul 2021
The combination of Dizzy Gillespie's bebop with Chano Pozo's Cuban rhythms made for some of the most exciting big band music ever recorded. Matt looks into the story behind these classic cuts.
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The Blues and the Abstract Truth
28th Jun 2021
One of the unsung trailblazers of 60s jazz, Oliver Nelson's The Blues and the Abstract Truth is some of his most widely-remembered work, and just so happens to feature a killer line-up including Eric Dolphy and Freddie Hubbard. We take a look back at Nelson's unique, contemporary interpretation of the blues.
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Ellington, Mingus & Roach - Money Jungle
21st Apr 2021
One of the most exciting trio recordings in jazz, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Max Roach's Money Jungle is the sound of three super-sized egos thrashing out their differences in the studio.
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Oscar Peterson - Night Train
29th Mar 2021
Canadian pianist Oscar Peterson's most well-regarded album sees him showcasing his bebop chops while paying homage to his beginnings as the 'King Inside of Swing'.
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Stan Getz & João Gilberto
2nd Mar 2021
American saxophonist Stan Getz and Brazilian guitarist/vocalist João Gilberto's collaborative record, Getz/Gilberto is a classic cool jazz recording that helped bring the sounds of bossa nova to an international audience.
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Chick Corea - Return to Forever
15th Feb 2021
Chick Corea's classic fusion-meets-Latin jazz album is still a gem of the 70's jazz scene. Eschewing the darker and more impenetrable sounds of his fusion contemporaries, this record from the late master pianist is a truly evergreen listen.
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Red Garland - Groovy
2nd Feb 2021
Red Garland was amongst many fine bebop pianists to be overshadowed by titans like Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, so it's time he got a bit of attention, as we revisit his 1957 classic Groovy.
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Pat Metheny - Bright Size Life
25th Jan 2021
Pat Metheny's debut studio recording featured a blending of ECM-style jazz, fusion and Americana sounds, proving the young guitarist was already a force to be reckoned with.
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Herbie Mann - Push Push
18th Jan 2021
Herbie Mann's embracing of funk and rock music wasn't met with the kindest words, but the funk-jazz crossover is just as deserving of a classic status as Miles Davis' similar experiments in the 1970's.
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Herbie Mann
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Alice Coltrane - Ptah, the El Daoud
11th Jan 2021
An early entry in Alice Coltrane's bandleading discography, Ptah, the El Daoud, sees the renowned harpist explore the spiritual sounds from her collaboration with her late husband. However, Alice remains a voice of her own.
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Billie Holiday - Lady in Satin
10th Dec 2020
Billie Holiday was just a couple months away from her 43rd birthday when she entered Columbia Records’ 30th Street Studio on February 18, 1958 to record her troubled late masterpiece Lady in Satin, as heart-breaking today as it was then.
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Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil
1st Dec 2020
Wayne Shorter's seminal album was the third in a prolific six years of recordings for Blue Note, and while Speak No Evil still retains the accessibility of early hard bop, it also showcases the saxophonist's unique and unorthodox compositional style.
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Wayne Shorter
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Louis Armstrong - Hot Five and Hot Seven Sessions
21st Oct 2020
Josh digs deep to explore Louis Armstrong's landmark sessions with The Hot Fives and Sevens in the twenties, when 'Satchmo' was at the cutting edge of jazz improvisation.
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The Complete Hot Five & Hot Seven Recordings
Louis Armstrong The Hot Fives, Johnny Dodds (clarinet), Lil Armstrong (piano), Louis Armstrong (vocal), Louis Armstrong (trumpet), Louis Armstrong (speaker), Kid Ory (speaker), Kid Ory (trombone), Kid Ory (vocal), Johnny St. Cyr (banjo), Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five, Louis Armstrong (cornet), Johnny Dodds (alto saxophone), Lil Armstrong (vocal), Louis Armstrong & His Hot Fives, Clarence Babcock (speaker), Louis Armstrong Hot Five, Johnny Didds (clarinet), May Alix (vocal), Henry (Hy) Clark (trombone), Louis Armstrong And His Hot Five, Lonnie Johnson (guitar), Johnny St. Cyr (guitar), Butterbeans & Susie, Susie Edwards (vocal), Joe "Butterbeans" Edwards (vocal), Louis Armstrong Jazz Four, Hociel Thomas (vocal), Hersal Thomas (piano), Lil's Hot Shots, Louis Armstrong & His Hot Seven, John Thomas (trombone), Warren "Baby" Dodds (drums), Louis Armstrong Hot Seven, Louis Armstrong And His Hot Seven, Joe Walker (baritone saxophone), Joe Walker (alto saxophone), Earl Hines (piano), Albert Washington (tenor saxophone), Bill Wilson (cornet), Honore Dutrey (trombone), Rip Bassett (guitar), Boyd Atkins (soprano), Boyd Atkins (clarinet), Boyd Atkins (alto saxophone), Tubby Hall (drums), Peter Briggs (tuba), Carroll Dickerson Orchestra, Boyd Atkin (clarinet), Al Washington (tenor saxophone), Earl 'Fatha' Hines (piano), Johnny Dodds Black Bottom Stompers, Barney Bigard (tenor saxophone), Roy Palmer (trombone), Baby Dodds (drums), Bud Scott (banjo), Lillie Delk Christian (vocal), Jimmie Noone (clarinet), Louis Armstrong & His Hot Four, Mancy Carr (guitar), Louis Armstrong Hot Four, Fred Robinson (trombone), Jimmy Strong (clarinet), Johnny Strong (tenor saxophone), Earl Hines (vocal), Mancy Carr (banjo), Mancy Carr (vocal), Zutty Singleton (drums), Earl Hines (speaker), Jimmy Strong (tenor saxophone), Trumpet & Scatting (trumpet), Louis Armstrong & His Savoy Ballroom Five, Louis Armstrong Hot Seven sic - Big Band, Don Redman (alto saxophone), Dave Wilborn (banjo), Don Redman (clarinet), Dave Wilborn (guitar), Don Redman (vocal), Jimmy Strong (saxophone), Louis Armstrong & Earl Hines, Luis Russell (piano), Paul Barbarin (drums), Pops Foster (bass), J.C. Higginbotham (trombone), Teddy Hill (tenor saxophone), Charlie Holmes (alto saxophone), Eddie Condon (banjo), Paul Barabarian (drums), Joe Venuti (violin), Eddie Lang (guitar)
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Roland Kirk - I Talk With the Spirits
15th Oct 2020
On one of the eminent saxophonist's many essential releases, I Talk With the Spirits sees him taking up the flute and pushing it to its limits in a way that is unmistakably Roland Kirk.
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Horace Silver Quintet - Song for My Father
7th Oct 2020
A hard bop classic inspired by the pianist's cultural heritage, Song for My Father is one of the most influential cuts of the era.
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Trio of Doom
24th Sep 2020
Jaco Pastorius, Tony Williams and John McLaughlin's incredibly short-lived collaboration, Trio of Doom, was almost too good to be true. The sole commercial recording of this trio of amazing musicians makes for both a great listen and an intriguing snapshot of a week in each player's lives.
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Jan Garbarek-Bobo Stenson Quartet - Witchi-Tai-To
11th Sep 2020
With a varied repertoire and unmatched chemistry, Witchi-Tai-To is one of the landmark releases of both the ECM sound and 'Nordic tone', as well as one of Garbarek's favourites of his catalogue.
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Lester Young and the Kansas City Six
4th Sep 2020
Nat Hentoff said the Kansas City Six sessions would be the record he'd rescue if his building was on fire... 80 years on they're still worth the risk.
