Jazz Articles about Andrew Robb

About Andrew Robb

Album Review

Florian Ross/WDR Big Band: Plans & Drawers

Read "Plans & Drawers" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
January 19, 2026

While Plans & Drawers may seem an odd name for an album of big-band jazz, the fact is that German-born composer and arranger Florian Ross had no “plans" to record before the opportunity arose to produce a second album with his home country's world-class WDR Big Band Cologne, and many of his compositions had been consigned to “drawers" in his studio. Once the agreement was finalized, Ross reopened those drawers, plans were made, and Plans and Drawers was recorded in ...

Album Review

Henry Spencer: The Defector

Read "The Defector" reviewed by Neil Duggan

by Neil Duggan
September 26, 2023

In 2011, trumpeter Henry Spencer won the Best Newcomer Award at the jazz festival in the Wiltshire town of Marlborough; he went on to win the Emerging Excellence Award from Help Musicians UK in 2014. Sometimes these awards add extra pressure or, as is the case here, propel the musician to new heights. He climbs very close to the summit here with The Defector. The nine compositions on the album were inspired by those who defect -soldiers, politicians or partners ...

Album Review

A Northern Code: Boundaries

Read "Boundaries" reviewed by Mark Sullivan

by Mark Sullivan
March 13, 2020

A Northern Code is a collaboration between Norwegian guitarist Mathias Marstrander, Scottish double bassist Andrew Robb and Norwegian drummer Sigurd Steinkpf. The group balances improvisation with composition; one hallmark is the use of conceptual goals to help shape the improvisations. This is demonstrated right off the bat with opener “Slow Motion," which ably delivers on its premise with a slow-moving mass of sound. “Every Cell Of Your Body" is a bit harder to parse, but it casts a spell through ...