Articles by Anastasia Bogomolets

Interview

Jasur Khalilov: From Falak to Fusion

by Anastasia Bogomolets
September 18, 2026

Jazz has always been a music of dialogue, shaped by encounters between cultures, traditions, and individual voices. In Tajikistan, a post-Soviet country in Central Asia, one of the spaces where this dialogue has taken place is the Dushanbe International Jazz Festival (Dushanbe is the capital of Tajikistan), an initiative that brought together musicians from Central Asia, Europe, and beyond while exploring connections between jazz improvisation and local musical traditions. For musician, educator, and artistic director Jasur Khalilov, the ...

The Big Question

Is That Even Jazz?

by Anastasia Bogomolets
July 21, 2026

The question has accompanied jazz almost from its beginnings. Nearly every generation has questioned whether new forms of jazz were “really jazz." One of the most versatile musical genres, jazz has always been defined by transformation: improvisation, experimentation and a constant search for new forms of expression. From bebop's rejection of swing conventions to free jazz's departure from conventional harmonic structures and rhythmic frameworks, from jazz fusion to contemporary collaborations with hip-hop, electronic music, and classical traditions, jazz has continuously ...

The Big Question

What Shapes Jazz Improvisation: Culture, Training, or the Moment?

by Anastasia Bogomolets
April 10, 2026

Improvisation is widely regarded as an inherent characteristic of jazz, with the exception of a few subgenres. At the same time, there is a contrasting view that much of modern improvisation amounts to a recombination of well-learned, drilled scales and licks. There is also a third dimension to consider: many folk music traditions across cultures incorporate improvisation as an essential element. This leads to a broader question: to what extent does a musician's cultural background shape ...

Album Review

Khondzi: First of Many

Read "First of Many" reviewed by Anastasia Bogomolets

by Anastasia Bogomolets
December 28, 2025

First of Many is a vivid dialogue between two of Georgia's most distinguished contemporary jazz voices: pianist Papuna Sharikadze and saxophonist Khondzi. Renowned for its unique choral polyphony, expressive dance traditions, and rich musical heritage, Georgia (Saqartvelo, the country) provides the cultural background for Sharikadze and Khondzi's music. From the first notes, the album captures the essence of their long friendship and musical partnership, revealing an intuitive connection that turns every track into a conversation. The ...

Album Review

Yogev Shetrit: Way of Tradition

Read "Way of Tradition" reviewed by Anastasia Bogomolets

by Anastasia Bogomolets
November 25, 2025

Ever miss music quizzes? This album is the perfect way to test your musical intelligence. It keeps its jazz roots while weaving in all sorts of global influences. Some Central Asian rhythms and melodies emerge in “Bishkek Ancient City." A different kind of vibe, though from the same region, appears in “Uzbekistan." Distinct Moroccan influences shape Way of Tradition. Listeners might notice echoes of Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Roy Haynes, Art Blakey, or Max Roach. However, the next bar suggests ...

Album Review

Sean Vokes: Mundane Fascinations

Read "Mundane Fascinations" reviewed by Anastasia Bogomolets

by Anastasia Bogomolets
September 4, 2025

On his second release for his own indie label, Minor Third Records, pianist and composer Sean Vokes invites listeners into a deeply personal sonic world where everyday moments are transformed into vivid, emotionally charged musical snapshots. Mundane Fascinations is a collection of original compositions inspired by images, concepts or fleeting moments and developed with the same emotional precision a film composer might bring to a scene. Vokes shared that the album began with the song “Rain," which he ...

Album Review

Darren Pickering Small Worlds: Three

Read "Three" reviewed by Anastasia Bogomolets

by Anastasia Bogomolets
July 27, 2025

Darren Pickering Small Worlds' release, Three, continues the quartet's ongoing exploration of jazz fused with cinematic flavour and electronic possibilities. The group, led by pianist and composer Darren Pickering, offers a set of emotionally nuanced compositions, some anchored in jazz language, others bringing in filmic atmosphere. Electronic tools--an array of modular systems, synths and apps--play an active role in shaping the sound. Rather than being added after the fact, they function as part of the compositional language. Pickering ...

Album Review

Shuffle Demons: Are You Really Real

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by Anastasia Bogomolets
June 2, 2025

Celebrating four decades of genre-blending jazz, the Shuffle Demons return with Are You Really Real, a studio album that fuses funk, post-bop, theatrical satire and spiritual jazz. Influences ranging from Eric Dolphy and Alice Coltrane to the Red Hot Chili Peppers shape the band's eclectic high-energy aesthetic. The opening track, “X Marks the Spot," sets the tone with multivoiced saxophone lines and a rhythm section that oscillates between swing and funk. Tenor saxophonists Kelly Jefferson and Matt Lagan ...

Album Review

Ester Andujar: Inner Songs

Read "Inner Songs" reviewed by Anastasia Bogomolets

by Anastasia Bogomolets
April 28, 2025

Ester Andújar Rico's album Inner Songs is a mesmerizing journey through language, culture, and emotion. Andújar effortlessly transitions between Spanish, Valencian, Portuguese, and English, making each track feel like an intimate conversation across borders. Even if you are not fluent in all of the languages, the album provokes introspection on how language modifies the listener's perception of music. Andújar's vocals carry a subtle but powerful influence from Spanish vocal traditions, particularly in the way she infuses her phrasing ...

Album Review

Yaron Herman: Radio Paradise

Read "Radio Paradise" reviewed by Anastasia Bogomolets

by Anastasia Bogomolets
April 12, 2025

"When I started working on this album, the first thing that came to my mind was melody. I have been writing a lot over the last few years, mostly in my notebooks, for myself. On the road or at home, anything from long lines to short fragments. With time, (and hard work) these “motifs" started to take shape and turn into 'songs,'" Yaron Herman shares about his backstage process. Even though there are no human vocals on the ...