Back catalogue: Funk Soul & Jazz

Review: Gateway by John Abercrombie is a captivating journey through the realms of modern jazz fusion, featuring Abercrombie's masterful guitar work alongside Dave Holland's silky-smooth bass and Jack DeJohnette's dynamic drumming. Seamlessly blends traditional and progressive jazz elements, Abercrombie's compositions showcase intricate band interplay, with tracks like 'May Dance' and 'Jamala' highlighting the trio's ability to shape melodies around each other's instrumentation. Holland's bass provides a solid foundation, grounding Abercrombie's exploratory guitar solos, while DeJohnette's drumming adds texture and depth to the ensemble. Abercrombie's experimental approach to guitar sounds, as seen in 'Sorcery 1,' adds a unique dimension to the album, enhancing its dissonant yet accessible nature. Overall, Gateway offers a rewarding listening experience for jazz and music lovers.

Review: The Blue Land is Matthieu Bordenave's follow-up to his ECM trio debut and sees the addition of British drummer James Maddren, enhancing the ensemble's airy textural canvas with a more urgent, animated feel. Pianist Florian Weber's improvisations set the tone, displaying inventive tension and release. Bordenave's saxophone weaves a lyrical narrative, punctuated by bassist Moret and Maddren's perceptively timed contributions. The album strikes a delicate balance between tonal and abstract elements, as heard on the ominous title track and the meditative 'Cyrus.' With nods to Coltrane's 'Compassion"'and Jarrett-like piano, the ensemble delivers an intriguing and collectively expressive set of chamber ensemble pieces.

Review: On A New Day, Italian pianist Giovanni Guidi rekindles his enduring musical rapport with Thomas Morgan and Joao Lobo, while expanding the trio's sonic palette by adding American saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, making his ECM debut. Recorded at Studios La Buissonne in Southern France and produced by Manfred Eicher, the album captures an elevated sense of communication and innovation. Lewis's confident, unmistakable tone introduces new dialects and perspectives, enhancing the group's interplay. The quartet navigates fresh instrumental paths with fluidity, inspired by their deep-rooted partnership and heightened collaboration. The result is a dynamic blend of jazz that explores new textures and ideas, showcasing the quartet's cohesive and adventurous spirit. Guidi's piano, Lewis's saxophone, Morgan's double bass, and Lobo's drums come together to create an album that is both reflective and forward-thinking, making A New Day a compelling new listen for Jazz fans.

Review: The welcome reissue of Jan Garbarek Quartet's Afric Pepperbird brings forth a timeless fusion of jazz and world music that was originally released in 1970. Garbarek's evocative saxophone leads the ensemble through a mesmerising exploration of African rhythms and Scandinavian jazz sensibilities. With hypnotic grooves, intricate melodies and soulful improvisations, each composition paints a vivid picture that often leads to transcendent musical experiences. The quartet's synergy is palpable throughout as they weave together elements of traditional and avant garde jazz with effortless grace. As such, Afric Pepperbird remains a seminal work in Garbarek's discography that shows both his mastery as a composer and instrumentalist while celebrating the rich diversity of global musical traditions.

Review: Pianist and composer Keith Jarrett's fame stems in large part from his many solo piano improvisations, performed regularly since the early 1970s. Solo Concerts: Bremen/Lausanne is a recording of two such concerts, held in Germany and Switzerland in 1973; originally released as a 3xLP by ECM Records, it now comes reissued and remastered via ECM. This live compilation flaunts Jarrett's emotional range, spanning everything from lyrical melodies to dissonant clusters, from rhythmic grooves to abstract soundscapes. The album was a critical and commercial success, winning the DownBeat award for the best jazz recording of the year in 1974, and establishing Jarrett as a leading figure in the solo piano genre.

Review: Keith Jarrett's 2016 European tour has already been subject to one vinyl release (Munich 2016 ) and now ECM capture another of the nights on wax. This sumptuous double album documents the pianist's solo performance at Budapest's Bela Bartok National Concert Hall, which the artist is said to have considered something of a homecoming. Comprised of suite-like structures, which are themselves made up of independent "movements", the album is a marvel of spontaneity and resourcefulness. It brims with creative energy and complex abstractions as well as more striped back and soothing pieces.