Jazz Articles about Alister Spence

About Alister Spence

Album Review

Asteroid Ekosystem: Sounds Have Dreams

Read "Sounds Have Dreams" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
May 9, 2026

Sounds Have Dreams is the audacious third album (and second studio effort) from Asteroid Ekosystem, the project led by Australian pianist and composer Alister Spence. He has assembled an unlikely quartet that sidesteps genre boundaries: punk and post-punk guitarist Ed Kuepper, The Necks bassist Lloyd Swanton, and the precise, inventive drummer Toby Hall. Spence shaped raw guitar phrases from Kuepper into compositional sketches, then reconvened the group. The result feels less like a conventional album and more like ...

Album Review

Alister Spence: Always Ever

Read "Always Ever" reviewed by Alberto Bazzurro

by Alberto Bazzurro
May 4, 2026

Il settantenne pianista australiano Alister Spence ci regala un nuovo capitolo della sua sempre stimolante saga discografica, stavolta in solitudine. La sfida, in contesti del genere, da sempre così trafficati, è spesso improba. Tutto pare già esser stato detto e fornire una visione personale di questa pratica impegnativa quanto, per converso, liberatoria (anche perché nello specifico totalmente improvvisata) si porta appresso non poche insidie, che Spence, per quanto lo riguarda, elude abilmente, confezionando un album (inciso in quel di Sidney ...

Album Review

Alister Spence Trio: Gather

Read "Gather" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
July 26, 2025

Alister Spence Trio's Gather arrives like a mischievous breeze, stirring the leaves of modern jazz with a blend of precision and playful abandon. This Australian ensemble--Alister Spence on piano, Lloyd Swanton on double bass, and Toby Hall on drums--delivers an album that feels like a conversation among old friends who happen to be virtuosos. The eight tracks weave a tapestry of intricate melodies, rhythmic surprises and moments of quiet introspection, each piece a small universe unto itself. Spence's ...

Album Review

Alister Spence Trio: Gather

Read "Gather" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
March 30, 2025

Australian pianist Alister Spence is a master collaborator. He teams up with fellow keyboardist Satoko Fujii for various recording and live show efforts, and also with pianist Myra Melford and saxophonist Raymond McDonald. In addition, he is a founding member of the group Wanderlust, and he collaborates with guitarist Ed Kuepper in the Asteroid Ekosystem ensemble. Gather, released under the Alister Spence Trio moniker, features eight of Spence's original compositions, along with his piano artistry, and with improvisations ...

Album Review

Kira Kira: Kira Kira Live

Read "Kira Kira Live" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
October 28, 2024

Kira Kira, a Japanese avant-garde ensemble has been at the forefront of improvisational music since 2017. Their name, translating to “glittering" or “shining" in Japanese, fittingly reflects the radiant quality of their sonic explorations. The ensemble includes an all-star lineup: trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, pianist Satoko Fujii, keyboardist Alister Spence and drummer Tatsuya Yoshida. Together, they blend semi-structured jazz with shades of other genres, creating a sound that is as frenzied and bustling as it is introspective and exhilarating. The album ...

Album Review

Alister Spence / Tony Buck: Mythographer

Read "Mythographer" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
February 20, 2023

Duo recordings, no matter what the particular instrumentation, are able to showcase musical mind-melds. Two artists conversing, trading and extrapolating on each other's ideas. Pianist Alister Spence and drummer Tony Buck try the format on for size with Mythographer. This spontaneous, one-day-session recording opens with “Dry Wood Talking." It sounds as if the talking is being done with sleigh bells in the beginning, in a tune that unfolds in a searching-for-the-center mode. “And Yet She Turns," ...

Radio & Podcasts

The Alister Spence Trio with Ed Kuepper Plus Other New Releases

by Bob Osborne
February 17, 2022

On this weeks show there is a focus on recent releases. There is also an Australian jazz-rock supergroup just about to embark their first tour, some classic jazz stylings in a modern setting, brand new work from cutting edge duos and exciting releases from Ricardo Pinzon, Yaniv Taubenhouse and Tony Malaby. Playlist Alister Spence Trio with Ed Kuepper “Not a Leaf in Any Forest" from Asteroid Ekosystem (Alister Spence Music) 00:00 Cooper-Moore and Stephen Gauci “Improvisation Seven" ...