Album Review

Tania Giannoul and Nik Bärtsch: Metakosmos

Read "Metakosmos" reviewed by Tyran Grillo

by Tyran Grillo
October 25, 2026

The distance between two pianos is measured in acts of listening. Each instrument carries the habits of its player, yet the space between them belongs to whoever is willing to enter it. On Metakosmos, Tania Giannouli and Nik Bärtsch inhabit that interval with an intimacy that gives their eight pieces the contours of a shared interior. Every gesture changes the dimensions of the encounter. A rhythm opens a passage through a melody; a resonance leaves room for another thought to take ...

Jon De Lucia: The Brubeck Octet Project Strikes Again!

Read "The Brubeck Octet Project Strikes Again!" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
October 25, 2026

After his recording of The Brubeck Octet Project earned widespread approval and acclaim in 2024, saxophonist and jazz historian Jon De Lucia did not rest on those laurels; instead, he delved even more deeply into the original octet's archives and unearthed eleven little-known arrangements that form the basis of a second blockbuster album, The Brubeck Octet Project Strikes Again! And what a strike it is--every inch as perceptive and impressive as De Lucia's earlier survey of the Dave Brubeck Octet, ...

Joe Block: There is Always Hope

Read "There is Always Hope" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
October 25, 2026

Joe Block's There Is Always Hope is an unusually personal debut, but what is most interesting is not the autobiographical material behind these 12 compositions. Rather, it is how Block has gradually learned to turn experience into musical structure. Written over many years, these pieces reveal a composer still testing the boundaries of his language, sometimes successfully, sometimes deliberately leaving the edges unresolved. He is a bandleader increasingly comfortable with letting the music exist beyond his own intentions.

Satoko Fujii Orchestra Tokyo: Kappa Ondo

Read "Kappa Ondo" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
October 24, 2026

Stepping into the sounds of a Satoko Fujii big band performance is like slipping into an alternate universe. It is an odd sonic world, full of odd surprises. The pianist/composer has chosen 2026 to release five orchestral albums, each featuring a different ensemble. Fujii has been ambitious, consistently so, over a 30-plus-year career. Kappa Ondo is her fifth and final large ensemble recording of this project. The Kappa Ondo universe has its origins in a song written by ...

Clifford Jordan Quartet: Night of the Mark VII

Read "Night of the Mark VII" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
October 24, 2026

Clifford Jordan's Night of the Mark VII, recorded live in Paris in 1975, is a remarkable document, a reminder of the simple pleasure of listening. It captures four musicians who know precisely who they are, yet remain open to whatever the moment brings. There is no unnecessary display or performative grandstanding. The players enjoy being together, and the audience is fortunate and discerning enough to be there. Jordan was playing his new Selmer Mark 7 tenor saxophone for ...

Mali Obomsawin: Automatic

by Don Ball
October 24, 2026

The cover of Mali Obomsawin's Automatic finds her in a room surrounded by cultural influences such as her bass and traditional ash basket splints and revolutionary artifacts like Marxist literature, grenades, and the Mohawk Warrior Society flag. A provocative cover for a provocative album where Obomsawin pulls together a rich musical tapestry that is difficult to define or label but which is wildly compelling to listen to. Obomsawin, a citizen of the Odanak community of Abenaki Nation in ...

Mattia Basilico: On The Edge

Read "On The Edge" reviewed by Neil Duggan

by Neil Duggan
October 23, 2026

Mattia Basilico is an Italian saxophonist who proudly wears his influences on his sleeve. He and his quartet set out to explore the jazz tradition while injecting a contemporary feel. The group comprising pianist Alessio Pagliero, double bassist Carlo Bavetta and drummer Bernardo Guerra, brings a fresh perspective to compositions by John Coltrane, Cedar Walton, Thelonious Monk, David Hazeltine, Ornette Coleman and Jimmy Van Heusen, using them as a platform for interaction, carefully shaped arrangements and new expressive directions.

Cory Weeds: Hip to Be Square Plays Huey Lewis & The News

Read "Hip to Be Square Plays Huey Lewis & The News" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
October 23, 2026

There is something wonderfully mischievous about Cory Weeds taking on Huey Lewis And The News. At first glance, the pairing might seem unlikely, but spend a little time with Hip to Be Square - Plays Huey Lewis & The News (Boop Bop Bing Bash!) and the logic becomes clear. The band's songs were built on strong melodies, deep grooves, and a healthy dose of the blues, making them surprisingly natural material for a Hammond B3 organ quartet. Saxophonist Weeds, organist Chris ...

Springfield Symphony Jazz Orchestra: Royalty: The Music of Duke Ellington & Count Basie

Read "Royalty: The Music of Duke Ellington & Count Basie" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
October 23, 2026

According to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, there are at least 33 cities, towns and other populated areas in the U.S. that answer to the name “Springfield." Only five boast populations of more than 20,000, and one (Illinois) is a state capital. Springfields can be found in Massachusetts, Oregon, Vermont, Missouri, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Kentucky, among other places. And also in Ohio, which is presumably the only Springfield that is home to its very own Symphony Jazz Orchestra. ...

Blair Huber: Eclipse

by Neil Duggan
October 22, 2026

Eclipse is the debut album from German duo Blair Huber, comprising saxophonist Darius Blair and guitarist Niko Huber. The album features nine original tracks and was co-produced by the duo with their long-time collaborator Nicolas Butka. Friends for many years, Blair and Huber began playing together at the start of the pandemic and have never allowed their sparse lineup to constrain their creativity. Part of their studio time was spent searching, Blair says, “for a common language between hip hop and ...