Jazz Articles about Andy Sheppard

About Andy Sheppard

Album Review

Andy Sheppard was not always heading for ECM. In 1990, he formed his first big band, the Soft on the Inside Band, for an album of the same name. Soft on the Inside (Island Records, 1990) was rumbustious and expansive, featuring many notable players, including drummer Han Bennink, trumpeter Claude Deppa and trombonist Gary Valente. Then came his thirty-year association with Carla Bley. Their work was eventually honed down to a trio with bassist Steve Swallow, yielding a ...

Album Review

Andy Sheppard: Salt Catchers

Read "Salt Catchers" reviewed by Neil Duggan

by Neil Duggan
September 10, 2026

Since discovering John Coltrane as a teenager, tenor and soprano saxophonist Andy Sheppard has forged a remarkable career, earning multiple British Jazz Awards, international acclaim and even a place in the UK pop charts. His musical range is equally impressive: alongside jazz giants George Russell, Gil Evans and Carla Bley, he has worked with artists as diverse as Baaba Maal, Runrig and John Martyn. Equally at home in a big band, solo setting or small group, Sheppard now ...

Radio & Podcasts

New Music From Andy Sheppard, Rita Marcotulli, & Michael Benita Plus More

by Bob Osborne
September 10, 2026

This playlist pairs a diverse selection of new and forthcoming contemporary jazz releases with a pair of foundational live recordings. The first ten tracks highlight recent and current directions in improvised music--spanning modern piano trios, cross-cultural collaborations, and adventurous small-ensemble arrangements. Providing historical context, the final two tracks deliver classic live performances from John Coltrane and the avant-garde outfit Curlew.Playlist Andy Sheppard, Rita Marcotulli, & Michael Benita “This Too--Three Hills" from Salt Catcher (ECM Records) 00:00 Volkan Kaplan ...

Album Review

Michael Arbenz meets Andy Sheppard: From Bach to Ellington - Live

Read "From Bach to Ellington - Live" reviewed by Neil Duggan

by Neil Duggan
June 13, 2025

Recorded live at the Bird's Eye Jazz Club, Basel, Switzerland, in 2024, From Bach to Ellington--Live, has Swiss pianist Michael Arbenz and British saxophonist Andy Sheppard reinterpreting four of Duke Ellington's classics, together with two original pieces from Arbenz inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach. Arbenz came to All About Jazz's attention when, along with his brother Florian, he worked with Ron Carter on The Alpine Session (Self Produced, 2025). As part of the trio Vein, Arbenz has released ...

Album Review

Espen Eriksen Trio with Andy Sheppard: As Good As It Gets

Read "As Good As It Gets" reviewed by John Eyles

by John Eyles
October 21, 2023

The Espen Eriksen Trio--Eriksen on piano, Lars Tormod Jenset on bass, and Andreas Bye on drums-- was formed in 2007 and their debut album, You Had Me at Goodbye, was released in 2010 on Rune Grammofon where they have remained ever since. In 2016 British saxophonist Andy Sheppard was invited to guest with the trio when they played in London. Sheppard has since commented, “I knew from the first time I heard the trio play that I would fit right ...

Album Review

Espen Eriksen Trio with Andy Sheppard: As Good As It Gets

Read "As Good As It Gets" reviewed by Chris May

by Chris May
October 17, 2023

Norway's Espen Eriksen Trio is the first Scandinavian piano trio to enjoy a measure of sustained international success since Sweden's Esbjörn Svensson Trio's high-profile run was cut short by Svensson's death in 2008. While some listeners thought that EST's style was becoming over-codifed during its final years, EET still sounds box fresh thirteen years and many thousands of road miles since its debut album, You Had Me At Goodbye (Rune Grammofon, 2010). What is also remarkable is ...

Album Review

Carla Bley: Life Goes On

Read "Life Goes On" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

by Mike Jurkovic
February 12, 2020

After decades of illuminating and revealing work, reveling in and breaking free of shadows, it is those same shadows that still inspire and inform Carla Bley. Which perhaps explains why the title track of Life Goes On rolls in on the 12-bar like a music obsessed, post-bop cigarette girl absorbing Count Basie at Birdland in the 1950s. So let's take a brief moment to be thankful for the odd, out of time quirks that have brought us to this same ...