Results for "John Surman"

John Surman

Born: August 30, 1944

Born in Tavistock, Devon in 1944, composer/multi-instrumentalist John Surman is one of the key figures in a generation of European musicians who have crucially expanded the international horizons of jazz during the past thirty years or so. Long acknowledged as an improviser of world class, Surman has also composed a body of work which extends far beyond the normal range of the jazz repertoire.

Already, by the late 60s, it was clear that Surman was a phenomenon. He started out as a teenager playing the music of fellow Devonian Mike Westbrook, and then amazed the London establishment with displays of extravagant instrumental proficiency combined with a passionate, rumbustious imagination.

New Music From Haruna Fukakzawa, Cécile McLorin Salvant With The Metropole Orkest, A Limited Release From Muriel Grossmann With Tõnu Naissoo, And From The ECM Vault Guitarist Mick Goodrick With John Surman, Eddie Gomez And Jack DeJohnette

by Hobart Taylor
July 22, 2026

Haruna Fukakzawa, Black Nile, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Ezra Collective and keep an eye on composer Bill Noertker Playlist Host Speaks 00:00 Haruna Fukazawa “Hot & Spicy, Sometimes Sweet" from Plays at the Wrong Time (Orange Paw) 00:11 Larry Goldings/Peter Bernstein/Will Stewart “Penelope" fromRhombus (Smoke Sessions) 7:46 Host Speaks 13:51 Cecile McLorin Salvant “Sophisticated Lady" ...

The Warm Glow of ECM Vinyl: Tomasz Stańko, Bill Connors, and Mick Goodrick

by C. Andrew Hovan
July 20, 2026

In an oft-quoted phrase from a 1971 magazine article, ECM founder and producer Manfred Eicher described the label's ethos as “the most beautiful sound next to silence." From the start, the label's eloquent sound--captured expertly by house engineers Martin Wieland and Jan Erik Kongshaug--transferred beautifully to vinyl, and original pressings remain highly prized among collectors. So ...

Mick Goodrick: In Pas(s)ing

by Jack Kenny
July 10, 2026

Let us start with the recording itself. For this album the quality of the recording is as important as the playing. It was made at Talent Studio in Oslo by Jan Erik Kongshaug--and is typically in the style of ECM Records: spacious, detailed, each instrument given room to breathe without being isolated from its neighbor. But ...

Mick Goodrick & Fred Hersch: Feebles, Fables And Ferns

by Neil Duggan
June 5, 2026

Feebles, Fables and Ferns captures a rare duo session between guitarist Mick Goodrick and pianist Fred Hersch. Recorded in August 1988 at Hersch's studio in New York, the album provides an intimate display of the superbly matched improvisational skills of two musicians in full flight. During his career, Goodrick perfected the art of avoiding ...

The Top 25 Songs Featuring Clarinet

by Dean Nardi
April 21, 2026

As Ian Dury might have sung had he played the clarinet, “Hit me with your licorice stick." (That is “rhythm stick" for those not fluent in punk rock.) From the intricacies of classical music to the smooth swing of jazz to Klezmer--the folk music of the Eastern European Jewish population--the instrument resonates throughout a good portion ...

Javon Jackson, Jack McDuff, and Brian Landrus

by Jerome Wilson
March 25, 2026

This episode features new music from Javon Jackson and Brian Landrus as well as older music by Tom Skinner and Brother Jack McDuff. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) 00:00 Laura Jurd “Pirates" from Human Spirit ...

New Archie Shepp with Naïssam Jalal, Kronos Quartet, remembering Ralph Towner, and introducing the Alfie Jackson Sextet

by Hobart Taylor
January 28, 2026

New Archie Shepp, Kronos Quartet inspired by Mahalia Jackson, Nicole McCabe, and remembering Ralph Towner. Playlist Host Speaks 00:00 Kerry Politzer “The Sunrise Wants to Break Through" from Alternate Routes (Whirlwind) 00:12 Ralph Towner “Fat Foot" from At First Light (ECM) 5:24 Nicole McCabe “Air Sign" from Color Theory (Birdwatcher) 9:13 John Surman/Ben Surman ...

I Dischi del 2025 secondo Ludovico Granvassu

by Ludovico Granvassu
January 5, 2026

Immortalare la bellezza e la varietà del jazz pubblicato nel 2025 attraverso una “top ten" appare tanto arduo, vano--e alla fine deludente--quanto cercare di fotografare un tramonto sulla costiera amalfitana usando una rudimentale fotocamera digitale e facendo un forellino sul copriobiettivo. Certo, una foto verrà scattata. Potrebbe persino dimostrare che eri lì, in quel momento, quando ...

Ludovico Granvassu's Garden Of Jazzy Delights 2025

by Ludovico Granvassu
January 3, 2026

Capturing the breathtaking beauty, range, and diversity of jazz released in 2025 through a list of “10 best albums" feels as challenging, vain--and ultimately disappointing--as trying to photograph the Grand Canyon at sunset by placing a pinhole in front of a rudimentary digital camera's lens. Sure, a picture will be taken. It might even prove you ...