Our thoughts on releases and live performances.
Album Review: Tom Misch – ‘Full Circle’: A mellower type of jazz
A musician’s willingness to develop their sound, push their boundaries and follow their heart is always something I admire; it demonstrates authenticity in a music industry so driven by business models and the demands of record labels. It’s not always considered the ‘safe’ option, when compared to churning out an album every other year which…
Album Review: LAUSSE THE CAT – ‘The Mocking Stars’: Who are we to define genres? A benchmark in the evolution of jazz
Jazz, I would argue, has evolved the most of any genre over the course of time. Stemming from Dixieland, through the prometheus figure of Louis Armstrong, the big band era, bebop, post bop and beyond, jazz has always been changing.
Live Review: Joe Armon-Jones, Hackney Church
On a somewhat miserable Friday evening in October, I approach Hackney Church for the very first time; light beckons me inside from the tall church windows, and the dub sounds from Mia Koden’s record collection echo louder and louder as I walk through the grounds to the front of the church. Fortunately, any weather-induced gloom…
Album Review: Chaos in the CBD – ‘A Deeper Life’: Familiar jazz-house bliss deep-seated in Kiwi roots.
After over ten years making jazzy house bangers, countless single and EP releases, and shows around the world, Chaos in the CBD have finally released their debut album, A Deeper Life.
Live Review: Alabaster DePlume, Gosforth Civic Centre – masterful musicianship and beautiful eccentricity
“Shall we begin with our voices?” Alabaster DePlume asks to his three bandmates on stage: a drummer, bassist and fiddler.
Live Review: Oscar Jerome, The Grove, Newcastle: Soulful solos and masterful musicianship on The Fork tour
Seeing Oscar Jerome at Newcastle’s The Grove promises the perfect start to a long Easter weekend; he visits the city for the first time, as part of The Fork tour supporting the brilliant newly released album of the same name.
Album Review: Oscar Jerome – ‘The Fork’: personal progression and passion, through more metaphorical cutlery
The Fork is Oscar Jerome’s first body of work entirely self-produced, and his most involved and invested work yet.
Album Review: Djo – ‘The Crux’: showcasing character and connection through music
The Crux is a record that speaks depths about the human condition, highlighting themes of love, vulnerability, growth, yearning, and most poignantly for me, the nature of connection.
Album Review: NIJI – ‘Oríkì’: Honouring heritage and celebrating culture through blazing jazz, Fújì and Afrobeat
From learning piano in his local church, NIJI has forged a career as both a sought-after session musician, and respected solo artist. It’s the latter I am exploring today – more specifically his new, six-years-in-the-making album, Oríkì.
Album Review: Joshua Burnside – ‘Teeth of Time’: an inventive and dynamic of modern original folk music
Burnside’s approach to sampling is once again not only inventive but emotive. This whole album displays his musical mastery, encapsulating Burnside’s growth as a musician and human.
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Waxing Lyrical 