Armageddon Flower, Felix Henkelhausen Quintet & Darrifourcq/Hermia/Ceccaldi

It seems like everyone is talking or writing about Armageddon Flower, the excellent new album by Ivo Perelman and Matthew Shipp's String Trio. It may well be the pinnacle of the Perelman/Shipp musical relationship, and it will no doubt be one of the more highly regarded albums of 2025. But can I throw a little light on bassist Felix Henkelhausen's way too? His previous release got a German Jazz Prize nomination, and The Excruciating Pain Of Boredom, his latest, is not one iota boring or painful and I wouldn't be surprised if he's nominated again. This quintet is the real deal. So is the French/Belgian trio of drummer Sylvain Darrifourcq, saxophonist Manuel Hermia & cellist Valentin Ceccaldi. They live on the edge, filled with mystery and unexpected moments. Other new European releases come from the Norwegian band Chrome Hill, Portuguese drummer João Martins, the Littorina Saxophone Quartet, and Danish guitarist Mark Solborg and his Tungemal Project. To round out the new stuff—a pair of Chicago trios: the reunited Wheelhouse with Dave Rempis, Jason Adasiewicz & Nate McBride and Keefe Jackson hooked up with Jakob Heinemann & Adam Shead.

Playlist

• Felix Henkelhausen Quintet "Expansion" from The Excruciating Pain Of Boredom (Enja) 00:00
• Host speaks 08:04
• Felix Henkelhausen "Building Blocks For Self-Destruction" from The Excruciating Pain Of Boredom (Enja) 10:02
• Tiziano Tononi & Emanuele Parrini "Pee Wee's Corner" from Other Interactions On July 5th (Felmay) 19:17
• Chrome Hill "Bent Out Of Shape" from En Route 2025 (Clean Feed) 29:38
• Host speaks 34:44
• João Martins "Diversificado Incongruente" from Oximoro (Carimba Porta Jazz) 37:05
• Eva Novoa,Masa Kamaguchi & Gerald Cleaver "Palomitas De Maiz" from Eva Novoa, Masa Kamaguchi & Gerald Cleaver (577 Records) 44:51
• Littorina Saxophone Quartet "Kop Kop" from Leaking Pipes (NoBusiness) 48:53
• Host speaks 56:55
• Keefe Jackson, Jakob Heinemann & Adam Shead "12345" from Stinger (Irritable Mystic) 58:49
• Bliss Quintet "Ida" from Live at Nat Jazz 2024 (Jazzland) 1:06:45
• Leif Berger Quartet "Crazy Horse Refused To Die On A Cot" from Secret Normalization (Klaeng) 1:11:42
• Host speaks 1:16:59
• Wheelhouse "Gingerbread" from House and Home (Aerophonic) 1:20:04
• Jaimie Branch "Prayer For Amerikka Parts 1 & 2" from Fly Or Die Live (Intl. Anthem) 1:32:18
• James Brandon Lewis Quartet "Even The Sparrow" from Abstraction Is Deliverance (Intakt) 1:46:58
• Host speaks 1:52:08
• Ivo Perelman & Matthew Shipp's String Trio "Armageddon Flower" from Armageddon Flower (Tao Forms) 1:54:46
• Sylvain Darrifourcq, Manuel Hermia & Valentin Ceccaldi "Fatification" from Unicorn And Flexibility (Hector) 2:06:08
• Dan Phillips Trio "Damage Assessment" from Array In Brown (Lizard Breath) 2:12:27
• Tom Weeks "Dummy Data" from Paranoid II (Wolfsblood) 2:16:38
• Host speaks 2:21:40
• Mark Solborg & Tungemal Project "Janus Og Sidste Ord" from Confluencia (Ilk Music) 2:24:16