Jazz Articles about Alexandra Ridout

About Alexandra Ridout

Album Review

Stephen Byth: Growth in Stasis

Read "Growth in Stasis" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
November 2, 2026

Stephen Byth brings a composer's imagination and a saxophonist's instincts to Growth in Stasis, an impressive debut that establishes his emerging voice in contemporary jazz. Raised in Australia and now based in New York City, he draws on modern jazz traditions while developing a language distinguished by memorable melodies, sparkling arrangements and inventive ensemble interplay. The music is sophisticated without sacrificing accessibility. Primarily a tenor saxophonist, Byth proves equally adept at shaping compositions that give his musicians room ...

Album Review

Gaia Wilmer Large Ensemble: Parabólico: Reflections on Gilberto Gil, Volume 1

Read "Parabólico: Reflections on Gilberto Gil, Volume 1" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
October 12, 2026

La bandleader e arrangiatrice brasiliana Gaia Wilmer dedica la sua attenzione alle musiche di Gilberto Gil tornando a incidere con una grande orchestra. Nella sua decennale attività discografica hanno infatti prevalso i medi organici e solo per le musiche di Egberto Gismonti ha guidato un'ampia formazione (Folia 2023). Con venti musicisti a sua disposizione, compresa la cantante Mônica Salmaso, Gaia ha modo d'evidenziare le personali doti di scrittura in dinamiche orchestrali raffinate e ricche di colore. Le riletture del repertorio ...

Album Review

Dave Douglas: Alloy

Read "Alloy" reviewed by Giuseppe Segala

by Giuseppe Segala
October 6, 2025

La lega di metalli a cui si riferisce Dave Douglas nel suo ultimo lavoro è quella delle trombe nella front-line. Tre personalità differenti, che si fondono in un tenace amalgama musicale, il cui prodotto ha caratteristiche di versatilità, elasticità, brillantezza, empatia. Ma è senz'altro possibile estendere tali caratteristiche all'intera formazione messa in scena dal trombettista, scaturita da una commissione del Festival of New Trumpet Music. Un gruppo inedito e singolare nel suo organico strumentale, con una coppia di ritmi accanto ...

Album Review

Dave Douglas: Alloy

by Glenn Astarita
September 30, 2025

Dave Douglas continues his alchemical pursuits with Alloy, forging a trumpet-centric ensemble that elevates group dialogue to new heights--proving that in jazz, three is not a crowd, it is a conspiracy of cool. Commissioned for the 23rd season of the Festival of New Trumpet Music, the project pairs the leader with British trumpeter Alexandra Ridout and New Hampshire's Dave Adewumi, creating a brass coalition where collaboration outshines competition, like diplomats dodging discord. The title nods to the art of melding ...

Album Review

Alex Hitchcock: Dream Band: Live in London

Read "Dream Band: Live in London" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
February 29, 2024

This is a bold expedition into the heart of progressive jazz, rendered across a vast canvas of three enthralling nights at the Vortex Jazz Club in London. This three-CD collection is not just a mere album, but a grand, audacious gathering of talents which blurs the line between a larger ensemble setup and a more intimate, modern band experience. Hitchcock's nifty approach to ensemble creation is at the core of this live recording. Rather than sticking ...

Album Review

Alex Hitchcock: Dream Band Live In London

Read "Dream Band Live In London" reviewed by Chris May

by Chris May
January 18, 2024

Viewed in retrospect, the abiding memory of 2023 is that it produced too many jazz albums prioritizing technical facility over emotional engagement. In London, New York and elsewhere (but not, so it seemed, in Chicago), musicians appeared to focus on virtuosity rather than feeling. Dullsville. For the record, some of those albums that did put soul on, at the least, an equal footing with cerebralism, are to be found in the Best Albums of 2023 round-up which can be read ...

Album Review

Zoe Rahman: Colour of Sound

Read "Colour of Sound" reviewed by Neil Duggan

by Neil Duggan
July 4, 2023

If you have shown your virtuosity on the piano in a variety of live and studio recordings, been recognized as one of the leading lights in contemporary British jazz and won multiple awards, what do you do next? In Zoe Rahman's case, more of the same but expanded and magnified. Most often heard in a trio format, Rahman has assembled seven trusted musicians to create an uplifting album, The Colour of Sound. Perhaps resulting from her background in ...