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Article: Album Review

Larry Stabbins & Mark Sanders: Cup & Ring

Read "Cup & Ring" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
July 28, 2025

Inspired by the 5000 year old Neolithic rock carvings pictured on the sleeve, Cup & Ring opens and closes with brooding, ritualistic pieces in which Larry Stabbins' breathy flute drifts like mist over Mark Sanders' deliberate, processional percussion. These atmospheric bookends, along with similarly spare interludes throughout, frame a set grounded more deeply in the language ...

Article: Album Review

Paul Dunmall New Quartet: World Without

Read "World Without" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
May 11, 2025

Amid the torrent of recordings that mark British saxophone legend Paul Dunmall's prolific creative output, World Without might have slipped beneath the radar. Recorded in 2021, the album bypasses preambles entirely: no themes, no heads, just immediate immersion into two expansive studio explorations that unfold with the confidence of deep familiarity. Dunmall has long ...

Article: Album Review

James Mainwaring / Dave Kane / Emil Karlsen: The Exu

by John Sharpe
May 3, 2025

The Exu, a lean and volatile threesome, makes a forceful first impression on its self-titled debut. Composed of Leeds-based pairing of tenor saxophonist James Mainwaring (best known for his tenure in the Mercury Prize-nominated Roller Trio) and Irish bassist Dave Kane (a longtime collaborator of Paul Dunmall and Matthew Bourne), alongside British-domiciled Norwegian drummer Emil Karlsen, ...

Article: Album Review

Laura Jurd & Paul Dunmall: Fanfares & Freedom

Read "Fanfares & Freedom" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
March 11, 2025

Well this is an entertaining premise. Free jazz maven Paul Dunmall as featured soloist in a suite composed by up- and-coming trumpeter Laura Jurd. Actually, the reality is more complex. It might be more accurate to say that the unfettered spirits of Dunmall's quartet, with bassist Caius Williams, drummer Miles Levin and pianist Liam Noble, offer ...

Article: Interview

Stephen Davis: Leaving It All Out There

by Ian Patterson
February 27, 2025

"How come I haven't heard of you before?" a surprised Anthony Braxton asked Northern Irish drummer/percussionist Stephen Davis. The venerable American saxophonist and composer was bowled over after playing with Davis for the first time. Most musicians are. It is no secret in Ireland, or indeed Europe at large, that Belfast-born Davis is ...

Article: Album Review

Xhosa Cole: On A Modern Genius (Vol.1)

Read "On A Modern Genius (Vol.1)" reviewed by Jack Kenny

by Jack Kenny
February 1, 2025

Xhosa Cole has moved forward constantly, since winning the 2018 BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year award. He has released two studio albums: K(no)w Them, K(no)w Us (Stoney Lane Records, 2021) featuring saxophonist, Soweto Kinch and pianist, Reuben James and Ibeji (Stoney Lane Records, 2022), featuring seven percussionists with African roots. This 2025 release has ...

Article: Album Review

Bley School: Where?

by John Sharpe
January 9, 2025

Punningly recalling beloved British children's TV programme Play School, the name Bley School neatly encapsulates what is afoot on this album, representing an open-minded and irreverent fondness for tunes, especially those associated with the groundbreaking Canadian pianist Paul Bley. Responsible for this is the threesome of pianist Pat Thomas, bassist Dominic Lash and drummer Tony Orrell. ...

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