Jazz Articles about Rob Luft

About Rob Luft

Album Review

Eddie Parker's Airborn With Rob Luft: Airborn

by Neil Duggan
September 17, 2026

Trying to pin Eddie Parker's music to a specific genre is a thankless task. For over 40 years, this acclaimed flautist and keyboard player has explored a variety of musical territory including rock (Eschersteps), classical and world music (The Debussy Mirrored Ensemble), South African Jazz (Bheki Mseleku) and Ibiza (A Man Called Adam). He is also a regular member of the Will Gregory Moog Ensemble and a former member of the acclaimed big band Loose Tubes. His focus ...

Album Review

Mali Sheard: Hayfever

by Neil Duggan
September 4, 2026

Having built a strong reputation with London-based eight-piece Ankora, saxophonist Mali Sheard steps into the spotlight with her debut album, Hayfever. It is a release that will do that reputation no harm at all, offering a beguiling blend of jazz, folk and groove, seamlessly integrated into Sheard's distinctive improvisational style. A graduate of Tomorrow's Warriors jazz talent development organisation and the Royal Academy of Music, where she studied with Gary Crosby OBE and Nikki Iles, Sheard makes full use ...

Album Review

John Donaldson: We Were Together, I Forget the Rest

Read "We Were Together, I Forget the Rest" reviewed by Neil Duggan

by Neil Duggan
August 26, 2026

Pianist John Donaldson reunites an exceptional cast of long-time collaborators for We Were Together, I Forget the Rest, a deeply personal album written in memory of his late wife, Agatha Coffey. The musicians featured on the recording represent relationships forged across Donaldson's five-decade career. Vocalists Norma Winstone and Rebecka Edlund are joined by drummer Jeff Ballard, saxophonist Iain Ballamy, guitarist Rob Luft, trumpeter Graeme Flowers and bassist Tom Mason. Many of these professional partnerships have evolved into enduring friendships ...

Album Review

Vidya: Adi Shakti

Read "Adi Shakti" reviewed by Kyle Simpler

by Kyle Simpler
June 27, 2024

Anyone who ever studied philosophy or literature has probably encountered the term dualism. Dualism represents two different aspects of one thing, much like two sides of one coin. Although the concept is generally associated with academics, it certainly applies to many different areas, and music is no exception. For example, the performance process is one form of expression, while the songwriting process is a different form of expression. Whenever these two are combined, it often brings ...

Album Review

John Surman: Words Unspoken

Read "Words Unspoken" reviewed by Mario Calvitti

by Mario Calvitti
April 8, 2024

Giunto alla soglia degli 80 anni, che compirà in Agosto, e con alle spalle oltre mezzo secolo di attività professionale che ha prodotto una discografia imponente e importante sia in termini di quantità che di qualità, il sassofonista britannico John Surman aggiunge un'altra gemma luminosa al ricco catalogo delle sue opere, in gran parte documentato sulla etichetta tedesca ECM Records. Non si tratta dell'atteso disco in duo con il pianista norvegese Vigleik Storaas, annunciato durante il loro tour europeo della ...

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

John Surman: Words Unspoken

Read "Words Unspoken" reviewed by Joshua Weiner

by Joshua Weiner
February 16, 2024

Englishman John Surman has been one of jazz's most important reedmen since his debut album on the progressive Deram label in 1969. From the start, on classic albums such as John McLaughlin's Extrapolation, Surman displayed a unique voice on the baritone sax, soprano sax, and bass clarinet, sometimes adding electronics to the mix. Since his first appearance on Manfred Eicher's groundbreaking ECM label in 1976, Surman has forged an idiosyncratic path, releasing solo, duo, and quartet albums, transcultural collaborations (such ...