Magnus Nygren, OrkesterJournalen (Sweden)
PER TEXAS JOHANSSON: Stråk på himlen och stora hus (Moserobie)
A selection of the hot new music surfacing across the continent this month by the top European jazz magazines and websites
Lars Mossefinn, Dag og tid (Norway)
LOUIS SCLAVIS: Characters On A Wall (ECM)
Matthieu Jouan, Citizenjazz.com (France)
JAIMIE BRANCH: Fly or Die 2 - bird dogs of paradise (International Anthem)
This anti-Trump and anti-racist manifesto disc is a current version of the Fable of Faubus, Don Cherry's musical universe and Jeanne Lee's Blasé holler with Archie Shepp. Everything reappears here, like a fountain resurfacing from a volcano. And everything ends with a love song.
Paweł Brodowski, Jazz Forum (Poland)
MAREK NAPIÓRKOWSKI: Hipokamp (Agora)
Marek Napiórkowski has been for years considered Poland’s top jazz guitarist, a successor to the sadly departed Jarek Śmietana. His newest album “HIPOKAMP” offers a fresh and exciting mix of „sophisticated jazz improvisations with the world of electronic sound structures, progressive rock, ethno and funk”. The electric guitar virtuoso is joined by top Polish players – Jan Smoczyński on synthesizers, Paweł Dobrowolski on drums, special guest Adam Pierończyk on saxophones, and Brazil’s precussion master Luis Ribeiro.
Mike Flynn, Jazzwise (UK)
ALICE ZAWADZKI: Within You Is A World Of Spring (Whirlwind Recordings)
Anna Filipieva, Jazz.ru (Russia)
MAKAR KASHITSYN: Jazz Animals (Rainy Days Records)
Jan Granlie, Salt-peanuts.eu (Pan-Scandinavian)
THE WAY OUT: Yes We Are (Insulamusic)
Why the hell? "The Mad Professor" Torsten Høeg runs this quartet of young musicians, into the world of popish jazz with roots in South Africa and the world of Albert Ayler and the others masters.
Viktor Bensusan, Jazzdergisi.com (Turkey)
POKAZ TRIO: Kintsugi (Losen Records)
The piano trio is a universal medium for jazz and lately pre/post-jazz. In this album, pianist Andrew Pokaz presents a kind of Zen and The Art of Piano Trio with blended local flavors from his hometown of multi-ethnic Odessa, Ukraine...
Henning Bolte, Written in Music (Netherlands)
QÖÖLP: qÖÖlp (BMC)
Why is qÖÖlp such a good combination of musicians, why is the music of this album such a marvelous, convincing throw, a throw immediately clicking in and firing full salvo? There is much good music around, but this is the exponentially best I met this time. The line-up of three string instruments, violin, cello, 7-strings guitar and drums give a hint already. The musicians on it totally make it (happen): the notorious Ceccaldi bros. (Sicilian roots), beautiful and wild, a stunning, dryly electrifying Ronny Graupe, and a here totally unbeatable Lillinger operating from deep inside with his unrelenting hyper-rapidly squirreling strokes. That means interlocking heavy gangue and finest chiselling. It blows, bangs and crashes, it rumbles and shrieks, dreams calmly and jubilates in highest pitch with Affenzahn, breakneck speed. The wolves join in, howling passionately with snouts raised. These four musicians meet and reinforce each other in high energy dynamics as well as structural equilibrity and clarity, naturally and with exhilarating results.
