Jazz Articles about John Law

About John Law

Album Review

Jon Lloyd Quartet's 2024 album Earth Songs (Ubuntu) racked up millions of streams. Anima sees the group building on that success with their distinctive blend of European contemporary jazz. Reflective melodies, inventive textures and spontaneity combine into a sound world of shifting moods, beauty and emotional appeal. The quartet lineup is unchanged from the previous album: Lloyd on tenor and soprano saxophones, alongside long-time collaborator John Law, bassist Nick Pini and drummer Alex Goodyear. All 11 compositions are ...

Album Review

Jon Lloyd Quartet: Earth Songs

Read "Earth Songs" reviewed by Neil Duggan

by Neil Duggan
March 16, 2025

Saxophonist Jon Lloyd has helped shape the UK jazz scene for several decades. Initially known for his energetic approach to free jazz, his creative ideas have gradually guided both himself and his group toward what he describes as “ECM quartet territory." Though ECM releases encompass a diverse range of musical styles, his description effectively evokes the quartet's sound. Their music features the contemplative soundscapes often associated with the label but also incorporates folk and classical influences, with space and stillness ...

Album Review

Jon Lloyd / John Law: Naissance

Read "Naissance" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

by Mike Jurkovic
February 12, 2025

It hardly matters whether or not Naissance goes down in musical history as one of the greatest or best-of piano/saxophone duet recordings. Comfortingly ethereal and most assured of itself, Naissance is a beautiful recording with a serenity and sense of open accomplishment all its own. British pianist/composer John Law and tenor/alto saxophonist Jon Lloyd embrace these ten thoughtful Zen moments as the seasoned creators they are. Law is a prize-winning classical prodigy who has sat atop the European ...

Album Review

John Law's Congregation: Configuration

Read "Configuration" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay

by Bruce Lindsay
May 11, 2020

John Law's Congregation is a quartet led by British pianist and composer Law and completed by three musicians from the UK jazz scene--James Mainwaring (Roller Trio), Ashley John Long and Billy Weir--who are part of what Brian Morton's sleeve notes calls the “new generation players." Law has been performing since the 1980s, releasing over 40 albums, some solo, others featuring a host of collaborators including Andy Sheppard, Asaf Sirkis and Tim Garland. Configuration is this quartet's first release ...

Multiple Reviews

John Law: The Re-Creations Trilogy

by Jakob Baekgaard
October 7, 2019

John Law is one of the most prominent pianists on the British jazz scene and he is also a distinctive composer. So far, he has focused primarily on building a substantial compositional body of work, culminating in his ambitious Art of Sound tetralogy (33 Jazz, 2007-2009), followed by strong records like Three Leaps of the Gazelle (33 Jazz, 2012) and the double-album These Skies In Which We Rust (33extreme, 2015). However, Law's focus on refining his own ...

Album Review

John Law: Goldberg

Read "Goldberg" reviewed by Jakob Baekgaard

by Jakob Baekgaard
February 18, 2015

J.S. Bach's The Goldberg Variations is one of the most famous works in the literature of the piano and an endless source of inspiration for pianist around the world -and not only classical pianists. Bach's music simply transcends genres and his ability to develop and sculpt variations on a theme remain unsurpassed. It is no coincidence that the legendary saxophonist Coleman Hawkins, himself a master in the art of thematic variation, deeply admired Bach. In the informative ...

Album Review

John Law / Yuri Goloubev / Asaf Sirkis: Three Leaps of the Gazelle

Read "Three Leaps of the Gazelle" reviewed by Jakob Baekgaard

by Jakob Baekgaard
May 24, 2012

Making changes in a trio can be risky a thing. If there's a special chemistry in a group, the slightest change in the lineup could spoil the magic of the music. For years, pianist John Law has had an effective formula with his Art of Sound Trio, with drummer Asaf Sirkis and bassist Sam Burgess, but Three Leaps of the Gazelle announces a significant change: Burgess is replaced by bassist Yuri Goloubev, a virtuoso musician and an old acquaintance of ...