Articles by Neil Duggan

Album Review

Blair Huber: Eclipse

by Neil Duggan
October 22, 2026

Eclipse is the debut album from German duo Blair Huber, comprising saxophonist Darius Blair and guitarist Niko Huber. The album features nine original tracks and was co-produced by the duo with their long-time collaborator Nicolas Butka. Friends for many years, Blair and Huber began playing together at the start of the pandemic and have never allowed their sparse lineup to constrain their creativity. Part of their studio time was spent searching, Blair says, “for a common language between hip hop and ...

Album Review

Espen Eriksen Trio: Almost There

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by Neil Duggan
October 16, 2026

Almost There is the eighth album from the Espen Eriksen Trio and is highly likely to follow the success of their previous seven releases, two of which featured UK saxophonist Andy Sheppard. It is simply a triumph of gentle melodic composition. The sound quality is superb too: the album was recorded at Propeller Music Division in Oslo, Norway, a studio widely regarded as a center of excellence for HiFi testing. This Norwegian trio, consisting of pianist Eriksen with ...

Album Review

Sam Newbould: One Day We’ll Have A Window

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by Neil Duggan
October 15, 2026

The fourth album from British saxophonist and composer Sam Newbould sees his musical vision broaden through the use of flute, subtle synthesizer textures and, on several tracks, layered vocals. The result is a rich and expansive sound world on One Day We'll Have A Window. The intriguing album title refers to the windowless basement studio inside Amsterdam's Volkshotel, where Newbould works from. What began as a simple reference to where the album's 12 tracks were composed gradually evolved into ...

Album Review

Kevin Haynes / Grupo Elegua: Inner Outer Alignment Vol. 1

Read "Inner Outer Alignment Vol. 1" reviewed by Neil Duggan

by Neil Duggan
October 11, 2026

Alto saxophonist, percussionist, composer and African folklore singer Kevin Haynes first came to prominence playing drums with the Jazz Warriors Big Band in the 1980s. An ordained Yoruba Ifá priest, his artistic development has continued to be shaped by the spiritual percussion traditions of West Africa, alongside his mastery of the alto saxophone, a proficiency that has often seen him referred to as the “African Charlie Parker." His Grupo Elegua project is a heady fusion of hard-bop jazz, ...

Album Review

Sharp Little Bones: Step Up! Get Down!

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by Neil Duggan
October 8, 2026

Sharp Little Bones began as the house trio at Peggy's Skylight jazz club, a much-acclaimed jazz venue in Nottingham, UK. Consisting of Simon Paterson on upright and electric basses, Paul Deats (who co-founded Peggy's) on Rhodes piano and Andrew Woody" Wood on drums, they were later joined by tenor saxophonist Tony Kofi, who joined for a gig in 2020, and the chemistry was strong enough to make the arrangement permanent. The name says something about the music: Sharp Little Bones ...

Album Review

Alekos Vretos: Mediterranean Echoes

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by Neil Duggan
October 7, 2026

Standing at the crossroads of jazz improvisation, Arabic modes and Greek folk music, oud virtuoso Alekos Vretos has created an album with a distinctive musical identity. Mediterranean Echoes continues his exploration of the space between traditions, bringing Eastern and Western influences together through an unusual, drummerless quartet with clarinetist Giannis Diskos, pianist Dimitris Verdinoglou and bassist Kimon Karoutzos. Originally conceived as a live project, before evolving into an album, it places ensemble interplay with an appealing chamber quality firmly at ...

Album Review

Adam Baldwych European Quartet: Endless

by Neil Duggan
October 4, 2026

Endless was recorded live at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music in Lusławice, one of Poland's major concert venues. There was no audience; instead, the auditorium provided the ideal acoustic environment for violin master Adam Bałdych and the members of his European Quartet: Italian bandoneon player Daniele di Bonaventura, Swedish pianist Jacob Karlzon and Algerian bassist Michel Benita. Despite the scale of the auditorium, the recording is sensitive and intimate, even fragile at times, as the musicians are ...

Album Review

Michal Skwierczynski: Consistency

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by Neil Duggan
October 1, 2026

Consistency marks the debut album from Polish jazz guitarist Michał Skwierczyński. Now based in Basel, Switzerland, Skwierczyński is a core member of the city's Jazz Orchestra, having studied at the Frost School of Music in Miami and Jazzcampus in Basel. Skwierczyński composed all 10 pieces on the album, taking the refreshing approach of using different guitars to suit the character of each track. It is a simple and effective technique that is surprisingly underused. The album is recorded ...

Album Review

Jon Lloyd: Anima

by Neil Duggan
September 24, 2026

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

Emile Parisien: Floating

by Neil Duggan
September 23, 2026

French soprano saxophonist Emile Parisien is a leading light in French and European jazz. Equally at home in contemporary chamber jazz, free improvisation and more traditional settings, he has developed a distinctive musical language shaped by a wide range of collaborators and influences. Floating is the first release from a quartet that emerged from the closing concert of Parisien's two-year residency at the Cité Internationale in Paris. Intended as a one-off performance, the rapport between the musicians was ...