Europe Jazz Media Chart

 

Nuno Catarino, jazz.pt

Evan Parker X-Jazz Ensemble: A SCHIST STORY (JACC)

In August 2012 a group of Portuguese improvisers spent a week in an artist residency led by the legendary Evan Parker. 17 musicians got together, including Rodrigo Amado, Luís Vicente, Angelica Salvi, Marcelo dos Reis, Luís Lopes and Gabriel Ferrandini. In an almost magical place, surrounded by immense greenery and giant mountains, it was experienced as an "utopian thing" (in Parker's words). Ten years later, the result of that historical meeting is available.

Dick Hovenga, Written in Music

Bandler Ching: COAXIAL (sdband)

The bands from Flanders that surprise with great debut records based on the free jazz spirit keep on coming. Bandler Ching is the new band of saxophonist & composer Ambroos De Schepper known from Kosmo Sound, Azmari and Mos Ensemble. Bandler Ching brings along Alan Van Rompuy (kb), Federico Pecoraro (b) and Olivier Penu (d). A fascinating bunch of musicians. COAXIAL is an extraordinary album that combines the free jazz spirit with cool electronics and phat grooves. From the coolest electronic jazz opener, You Call It, a track that builds up to a brilliant climax, they present a marvelous and diverse sound that dives deep and hits hard. After listening to COAXIAL the only thing, you really need and want is to hear all those tunes live!  

Peter Slavid, LondonJazz News

Paul Towndrow: OUTWITH THE CIRCLE (Keywork)

Paul Towndrow (s) is also an outstanding educator and composer, who plays regularly with this trio: Pete Johnstone (org) and Alyn Cosker (d). It is a powerful improvising trio playing music with just a subtle hint of a Celtic influence. On some tracks the influence is more direct as the trio is joined by a selection of Scotland’s finest traditional musicians, piper Ross Ainslie for example. Jazz in Scotland has developed a strong and distinct personality of its own, and this album is the latest excellent example.

Patrik Sandberg, Jazz

Bobo Stenson Trio: SPHERE (ECM)

Stenson is not a musician, who repeats himself, but he has an ability to continuously expand his musical spectrum. This time the long living trio with Anders Jormin and Jon Fält has moved more towards art music domains and at Sphere the pieces by Nordic composers with a pioneering, modernist approach are presented such as Danish Per Nörgård, Swedish Sven-Erik Bäck and the versatile Norwegian Alfred Janson. But there is also a small odd piece by Sibelius as well as some compositions by Anders Jormin. It is consistently a contemplative record that the trio presents this time. The estimates are precise, well thought out, caring, full of details and unexpected and subtle subtleties.

Cim Meyer, Jazz Special

Argüelles - Laginha – Norbakken: ATLÂNICO (Edition)

Lars Mossefinn, Dag og tid

Torgrim Sollid: MESON (Roselyd)

Matthieu Jouan, citizenjazz.com

ORD: HEMLIGHETER PA VÄGEN (Havtorn)

Karin Johansson (p) leads this surprising ensemble, whose airy, vibrant color is the perfect medium for poetry. Without drums, with four wind instruments and a piano, sometimes prepared, the Swedish quintet offers a magnificent setting of Tomas Tranströmer’s minimalist poetry. His poems are set to melody in intelligent and shimmering arrangements. Jenny Willén’s voice, sometimes whispered, sometimes spoken, sometimes soft and precise, participates in this universalism of poetry. Niclas Rydh (tb), Gunnel Samuelsson (reeds) and Hasse Westling (b) complete the orchestration.
Numerous instrumental passages also illustrate the finesse of Johansson’s writing, the skillful use of brass and woody colors with a balance point on the piano, but without making it the central axis. Much of this intimate and evanescent universe is due to the silences and ethereal interventions of the musicians, who know how to convey this feeling of floating and subdued light. The lyrics evoke nature, light, dreams and sleep, gazes, and reflections.
Undoubtedly a record to listen to at least once in your life.

Axel Stinshoff, Jazz thing

Bobo Stenson Trio: SPHERE (ECM)

Luca Vitali, Giornale della Musica

The Necks: TRAVEL (Northern Spy)

Yves Tassin, JazzMania

Lionel Beuvens: 49 STEPS TO HEAVEN (Hypnote)

Jazz? What it is? It is the first of the 50 steps to heaven. The other 49 are to be discovered by listening to this album. (Pierre Dulieu)

Jos Demol, jazzhalo.be

Paolo Sorge: MIRRORING (Blue Mama)

This is mostly music of the head rather than the heart, or indeed the feet – it rarely settles into a “groove” although Next blooms into a swing feel with some bluesy guitar and Avida Diva offers a latin beat and chromatic riffs – which always swerve cunningly away from “line cliches”. Overall, it is a fine album, particularly if you like the guitar-sax-bass-drum-format, and are interested in new slants on Monk’s musical ideas. (Stephen Godsall)

Christof Thurnherr, Jazz'n'More

Astroturf Noise: BLAZING / FREEZING (577)

Kaspars Zavileiskis, jazzin.lv

Māris Briežkalns Quintet: LATGALIAN EVERGREENS (MMC Ieraksti)

This album dedicated to the Latgale region in south-eastern Latvia continues to rearrange Latvian folk music and the compositions by legendary Latvian composers in the jazz genre. The album was launched in 2005, and in 1997 the disc KUR TU TECI was released as well. LATGALIAN EVERGREENS is a logical next step, offering lovers of quality jazz to enjoy coolest gems of Latgale’s musical heritage in a new and different soundscape. In three compositions of the new album the well-known Latvian folk music artist Biruta Ozoliņa (voc) also participates. This project is like an emotional and informative adapter that helps the wider public to discover beautiful and unknown moods of Latvian music.

Jacek Brun, www.jazz-fun.de

Johannes Enders: SWEET FREEDOM – A TRIBUTE TO SONNY ROLLINS (Enja)

Numerous musical projects have been created with the works of Sonny Rollins in various styles and instrumentations. Enders has shown great courage in recording this album with works of the genius musician exclusively with the saxophone in the leading role. His trio presents an interesting aesthetic concept in which the spirit of the compositions is not lost and is listened to with great interest. In this convention, his own compositions are hardly inferior to the works of the master! Enders proves to be a sensitive saxophonist with excellent technique and expressive playing.

Madli-Liis Parts, Muusika

Karmen Rõivassepp and Aarhus Jazz Orchestra: AMBIVALENCE (Jaeger Community)

Paweł Brodowski, Jazz Forum

Kinva: KINVA (self released)

This is a debut recording by the Ukrainian jazz trio KINVA, which was formed in Poland last year after the outbreak of war. The charismatic jazz couple of Anastasiya Litvinyuk (p) and Igor Hnydyn (d) are the founders of the popular ethno-jazz group ChockolaD – they had performed internationally and released seven albums. In KINVA they are joined by Roman Chraniuk (b), a Polish musician of Ukrainian descent. Their eponymous album features original compositions as well as traditional Ukrainian tunes with jazz arrangements and strong rhythmic groove often based on irregular meters. Beautiful melodies, heart-wrenching vocals, filled with nostalgia, longing, pain, courage, and pride.
KINVA recently traveled overseas, sharing their music with enthusiastic audiences in Edmonton, Canada. I should mention that these wonderful musicians made the cover of the latest issue of „Jazz Forum” magazine dedicated to Ukrainian jazz, which is growing in strength and absolutely deserves a wider recognition.

Mike Flynn, Jazzwise

Nora Kamm: ONE (Duya)

Krzysztof Komorek, Donos kulturalny

Izumi Kimura, Artur Majewski, Barry Guy, Ramon Lopez: KIND OF SHADOW (Fundacja Słuchaj)

Four undisputed personalities of world improvised scene during their first meeting in studio. Second part of the session (first was released at the end of 2022) recorded after Ad Libitum Festival 2021 in Warsaw. Musicians from different countries and different generations met there creating a spectacle of the imagination. Almost one hour of fully improvised material in 11 instalments. True feast for improvised music lovers.

Jan Granlie, salt-peanuts.eu

Tore T. Sandbakken: IMPERFECT SOLITUDE (Jazzland)

Norwegian Sandbakken (d) has in recent years been heard in several different musical genres. On IMPERFECT SOLITUDE he collaborates with Hanna Paulsberg (ts) and Dag-Filip Roaldsnes (p). Paulsberg has distinguished herself the most in recent years, including with the band Flukten, Gurls and the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra and in her own Hanna Paulsberg Context. This record could just as well have been in Roaldsnes’ name. Because he is the leading musician, with an exceptionally delicious following from Paulsberg and Sandbakken. The record is characterized by ballads, and both Sandbakken and Roaldsnes have created eight beautiful songs. I don’t remember hearing the two in such a complete, beautiful ballad landscape before. And together with Sandbakken’s fine compositions and spare drumming, this becomes a ballad record of high international class.

Christine Stephan, Jazzthetik

Alexandra Lehmler, Franck Tortiller: AERIAL (mco)

Viktor Bensusan, jazzdergisi.com

Chris Potter: GOT THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM: LIVE AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD (Edition)

Village Vanguard is a sacred place for jazz and LIVE AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD has always heralded intensely high quality albums, from John Coltrane to Chris Potter (twice) and beyond ...