Ambrose Akinmusire
The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier To Paint
Blue Note **** RECOMMENDED
On extraordinary form once more trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire with his longstanding quintet here extended on a perplexingly-titled album by a string quartet, plus The Vigil guitarist Charles Altura, and singers Becca Stevens, Theo Bleckmann (who features on the new Michael Wollny record Weltentraum) and the startling Canadian singer/songwriter Cold Specks.
Read the full review
http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1497-between-dusk-and-after-light
Big Chief
It Don’t Make Sense
Janus Sounds ***1/2
Big Chief were around for a long time before their debut It Don’t Make Sense reissued here with bonus tracks.
Read the full review
http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1496-drink-firewater-gonna-get-me-blue
Gary Burton
Seven Songs for Quartet and Chamber Orchestra
ECM CD/LP/download ***1/2
Recorded in December 1973 in Hamburg and now released on CD all these years later for the first time, there’s strong input including the majority of compositions and conducting of Mike Gibbs, Burton on ‘vibraharp’ joined by guitarist Mick Goodrick, bassist Steve Swallow, and drummer Ted Seibs, plus members of the NDR Symphony Orchestra, Hamburg.
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http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1459-chamber-dimension
John Coltrane
Out of This World
Proper Box (4-CDs) ***
A Coltrane box with a title such as “Out of This World” would lead you to think that this is the late free period of Coltrane’s career.
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http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1452-coltrane-time
Peter Edwards trio
Safe and Sound
Edwards Music Productions ***1/2
Pianist Peter Edwards, who’s been touring this month in the band of singer Zara McFarlane’s and who appears on her highly acclaimed new album If You Knew Her, first turned heads when he arranged Ellington’s ‘The Queen’s Suite’ for the Tomorrow’s Warriors Jazz Orchestra.
http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1487-the-haven
Colin Edwin and Lorenzo Feliciati
Twinscapes
RareNoise Records ***1/2
The prevailing atmosphere of the prog jazz underworld conjured on Twinscapes is a hauntingly dystopian blend of bassline bravado and pared back jazz-rock. Read the full review
http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1451-the-whisper-effect
Free Nelson Mandoomjazz
The Shape of Doomjazz To Come/Saxophone Giganticus
RareNoise Records **
A “double EP”, punning furiously, from this sax/bass/drums outfit that began life in Edinburgh. Doom metal isn’t exactly the obvious hybrid to enter the picture in 2014 and the way it works here is all about the fuzzy bass of the band’s Colin Stewart, drummer Paul Archibald clanking away as needed, and alto saxophonist Rebecca Sneddon bursting the top end of the register time and again as if that barrier was as insubstantial as a bubble.
Read the full review
http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1480-we-re-doomed
Scott Hamilton Quartet
Dean Street Nights
Woodville ***1/2
Lost in time, this record of a January night in Soho belongs as much to the 1950s as it does the London of two years ago.
Read the full review
http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1448-swing-while-you-re-winning
Abdullah Ibrahim
African Piano
ECM **** LP/CD/Download
This goes back to 1969 and the beginnings of ECM as African Piano was recorded during the label’s first year of existence even though it initially came out on the closely associated now discontinued mail order JAPO imprint four years later.
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http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1458-the-source
Chris Ingham Quartet
Hoagy
Downhome Records ***
As the title hints (no kidding, Sherlock) this is an album largely comprised of the ever popular songs of Hoagy Carmichael (1899-1981). They're performed here by singer/pianist Chris Ingham, trumpeter Paul Higgs, double bass-playing church minister Rev. Andrew J. Brown, and drummer Russ Morgan.
Read the full review
http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1484-the-music-in-the-night
Keith Jarrett
Arbour Zena
ECM ****
Shake awake gen Y to Keith Jarrett by all means. And where better to start than with this timely reissue of an album generation X have pretty much now almost forgotten about.
Read the full review
http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1456-the-illumining
Keith Jarrett
Ritual
ECM CD / LP / download ***
This solo piano record is a performance of Keith Jarrett’s piece ‘Ritual’ over two quite long tracks by the pianist Dennis Russell Davies who first worked with Jarrett in 1974 three years before Ritual was recorded in the studio in Germany.
Read the full review
http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1469-curiosity-value
Kühn & Kruglov
Moscow
ACT **** RECOMMENDED
The best in the Duo Art series so far explosive alto saxophonist Alexey Kruglov (born 1979) is relatively little known in the west, although the Leo label has championed his cause to the free-jazz diaspora by releasing his records and Jazz on 3 has broadcast his trio on the BBC.
Read the full review
http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1478-paint-it-red
Takuya Kuroda
Rising Son
Blue Note **** RECOMMENDED
Not since Terumasa Hino has a Japanese trumpeter displayed such potential on the world stage.
Read the full review
http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1489-feel-what-i-feel-what-i-feel-what-i-feel
Mike Longo
Step on It
Consolidated Artists Productions ***
Highly cultured piano trio interplay here on familiar material from the trio of veteran Cincinnati-born pianist Mike Longo, whose extensive experience as a player goes back to his debut as a leader in 1962 and which also encompasses long stints as pianist and musical director with Dizzy Gillespie in the 1960s and 70s.
Read the full review
http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1494-triopoly
Michael J McEvoy
The Long Way Home
Rezzonator Music CD/LP/download ***1/2
This has got instant appeal. And it’s over far too soon. With a melodic 1970s vibe to start with on the title track opener and Gerard Presencer’s bluesy horn commentary over a strong rhythm section of pianist McEvoy joined by Empirical bassist Tom Farmer and the Golden trio’s James Maddren this is the former musical director of Steve Winwood’s time to shine.
Read the full review
http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1477-shadows-of-the-truth
Oscar Peterson and Ben Webster
During This Time
Art of Groove CD/DVD ***1/2
A 1972 Hanover concert first time release capturing Peterson and Webster in a quartet setting with bassist NHØP and a drummer relatively little known beyond Germany at the time, Tony Inzalaco.
Read the full review http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1449-come-sunday
Polar Bear
In Each and Every One
The Leaf Label CD / LP / download **** RECOMMENDED
Beginning with a big wash of sound and then slow, achey, lonely saxophone with loads of echo on ‘Open See’ it’s clear the band still have that ahead-of-the-game experimental side to their nature that has made Polar Bear the torch bearers of a generation who have grown up on what Paul Morley termed in his memorable phrase “dream jazz”.
Read the full review
http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1482-an-inspiration-to-a-generation
Neal Richardson
Better Than the Blues
Splash Point Records **1/2
The album title is a bit optimistic! There’s a collection of songs Neal Richardson has mostly written himself here including the title track, plus a homage to New Orleans and the standard ‘The Very Thought of You’.
Read the full review
http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1479-woke-up-this-morning
Sam Rivers
Contrasts
ECM CD / LP / download ****
Issued on CD for the first time this quartet album recorded at the Tonstudio Bauer studio, Ludwigsburg, in December 1979, finds the avant gardist ex-Miles Davis player and loft scene avatar Sam Rivers (1923-2011) on saxes and flute, with George Lewis, trombone, Dave Holland, double bass, and Thurman Barker, drums and marimba.
Read the full review
http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1466-first-time-on-cd-for-cult-sam-rivers-album
Ben Stolorow and Ian Carey
Duocracy
Kabocha Records ***1/2
More traditionally minded on the surface at least than Roads and Codes last year’s Ian Carey Quintet + 1 outing, Duocracy opens with ‘Little White Lies’ the Walter Donaldson song from 1930 that Paul McCartney has mentioned was a childhood favourite of John Lennon’s.
Read the full review
http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1485-let-s-say-farewell-with-a-sigh
Christine Tobin
A Thousand Kisses Deep
Trail Belle Records ****
The songs of Leonard Cohen have long featured in the live repertoire of jazz singer Christine Tobin who now documents her affinity with Cohen in its most comprehensive form to date with this her latest album released a matter of months ahead of the great Canadian singer-songwriter’s 80th birthday this autumn.
Read the full review
http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1468-ring-the-bells-that-still-can-ring
Ralph Towner/John Abercrombie
Five Years Later
ECM CD / LP / download ****
Recorded in March 1981 at Talent in Oslo five years on from the better known Towner-Abercrombie debut Sargasso Sea this reissue is Five Years Later’s first time on CD.
Read the full review
http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1474-the-waiting
Miroslav Vitous Group
Miroslav Vitous Group
ECM ***1/2 CD/LP/Download
The ‘Group’, actually a quartet, the ex-Chick Corea, Herbie Mann, and Weather Report double bassist joined by reeds player John Surman, pianist Kenny Kirkland, and the Belonging band’s drummer Jon Christensen.
Read the full review
http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1461-towards-resolution
Michael Wollny trio
Weltentraum
ACT ****
It’s not the [em] line-up as bassist Eva Kruse is absent and instead it's stellar US bassist Tim Lefebvre who takes Kruse’s place on double bass in the Wollny trio here joining the pianist with the magic hands and drummer Eric Schaefer.
Read the full review
http://www.marlbank.net/reviews/1472-dj-divinity-and-the-art-of-dreaming