Articles by John Sharpe
Paul Dunmall: Bright Light A Joyous Celebration
by John Sharpe
While the opener suggests a blowing session from veteran British saxophonist Paul Dunmall, as good as that promises to be, the reality is better still. Joining him is a starry cast drawn from succeeding generations, with the addition of American drummer Hamid Drake. With the drummer touring in the UK. Dunmall took the opportunity to renew a friendship that stretches back almost two decades, one first heard on the fiery Peace And Joy (Slam, 2006). Alongside them in the studio ...
read moreOmawi: Marta Warelis / Onno Govaert / Wilbert De Joode: Waive
by John Sharpe
The familiar made remarkable by unfamiliar surroundings. That is the gist of Andy Moor's cover photo for Waive which shows a sun lounging woman apparently about to be engulfed by an enormous wave. It is also a suitable summary of what Omawi, the combined talents of Amsterdam- based Polish pianist Marta Warelis, and the Dutch pairing of drummer Onno Govaert and bassist Wilbert De Joode, deliver on Waive, the third album from a unit which cultivates a collective ethos.
read moreKirke Karja / Étienne Renard / Ludwig Wandinger: Caught In My Own Trap
by John Sharpe
Estonian composer Arvo Pärt developed a style he termed tintinnabulation, because of its resemblance to pealing bells. While pianist Kirke Karja doesn't use the same technique as her esteemed countryman, the sustained resonances of her playing on “Caught In My Own Trap “often suggests trouble in the belfry. That is certainly the case on “Take My Tender Heart," the first number on the wonderful album by the cosmopolitan trio of Karja, French bassist Étienne Renard and German drummer Ludwig Wandinger. ...
read moreJohn Butcher / Pat Thomas / Dominic Lash / Steve Noble: Fathom
by John Sharpe
Finely judged sounds studded in space. Bursts of incipient rhythm. Wafts of fire music energy. Those are just some of the fruitful products of the British foursome of saxophonist John Butcher, pianist Pat Thomas, bassist Dominic Lash and drummer Steve Noble. A spider's web of alliances connects them, notably tangled given their time on the promiscuous UK free scene, so it is all the more surprising that Fathom documents their first meeting as a group, in north London's Cafe Oto ...
read moreEvan Parker 80th Birthday Celebration
by John Sharpe
On 6 April, the day after his 80th birthday, North London's Cafe Oto hosted a virtually sold out two-day celebration in honor of groundbreaking saxophone icon Evan Parker, bringing together a host of colleagues from across his career. Contingents from North America and Europe swelled the ranks of local well-wishers and were rewarded by some marvelous music reflecting different aspects of his artistry. Starting off proceedings on the Saturday evening, the saxophonist revisited one of his most ...
read moreJoëlle Léandre / Vinicius Cajado: Storm Dance
by John Sharpe
Now 73, French bassist Joëlle Léandre is a consummate improviser allying unrivaled facility to boundless imagination. In a massive discography of over 250 entries, she has especially favored the duo format. Within that, there is a prominent strand of encounters with other bassists, including all the premier exponents of the instrument. To that tally on Storm Dance she now adds the young Brazilian bassist Vinicius Cajado, who has been making waves in Europe, including a bravura appearance at the 2023 ...
read morePeter Brötzmann / Sabu Toyozumi: Triangle - Live At OHM 1987
by John Sharpe
Free improvisers must be some of the world's most readily connected collaborators. They can strike up an instantaneous dialogue without the need for rehearsal or even a common language. Of course they might not always hit paydirt, but that uncertainty is part of the attraction. However, German reedman Peter Brötzmann, who was a regular visitor to Japan, successfully established potent relationships with many of the country's key figures, notably pianist Masahiko Satoh, multi-instrumentalist Keiji Haino and trumpeter Toshinori Kondo.
read moreNataniel Edelman Trio: Un Ruido De Agua
by John Sharpe
Born in Buenos Aires in 1991, Argentinean pianist Nataniel Edelman first met bassist Michael Formanek and saxophonist Michaël Attias when studying in New York City. He maintained the ties and the outcome was the three sessions under Edelman's leadership in a Berlin studio in 2022 which resulted in Un Ruido De Agua. It is not the first time he has recorded with the reedman, as Attias joined Edelman for a tour in his homeland in 2021, where the pianist, an ...
read moreSylvie Courvoisier: Chimaera
by John Sharpe
Even though pianist Sylvie Courvoisier has bassist Drew Gress and drummer Kenny Wollesen on hand for Chimaera, the six-piece band is a long way from being merely the storied threesome, which made Double Windsor (Tzadik, 2014), D'Agala (Intakt, 2018) and Free Hoops (Intakt, 2020), plus added guests. As she explains in the liners, the music was originally commissioned for the 2021 Sons d'Hiver festival in Paris and was inspired by the surreal works of French Symbolist artist ...
read moreOlie Brice / Rachel Musson / Mark Sanders: Immense Blue
by John Sharpe
Even given today's abundance of new issues in whatever genre, there are still bands which travel beneath the radar. One such is the trio of established UK improvisers comprising bassist Olie Brice, saxophonist Rachel Musson and drummer Mark Sanders which releases Immense Blue as its debut album. As a unit it has been around for a while, but the connections go deeper still. Brice and Musson have a duet nearing fifteen years old, while the saxophonist and drummer are two ...
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