UK Jazz & Soul

UK Jazz & Soul

Navigating the Currents of Modern Jazz: An In-Depth Exploration of ONMO’s In Time And Spirit

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Executive Overview In an era dominated by hyper-individualized digital production and transient single releases, the contemporary London jazz ecosystem continues to defy conventions by prioritizing collective consciousness and shared artistic lineage. Enter ONMO, a transcendent sextet whose debut full-length record, In Time And Spirit, stands as a masterclass in modern ensemble interplay. While guitarist and … Read more

UK Jazz & Soul

Crafting a Musical Geography: Sam Newbould’s One Day We’ll Have a Window and the Evolution of Modern Jazz

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Executive Overview In the contemporary landscape of improvised music, few artists map their internal and external geographies with as much intentionality as composer and saxophonist Sam Newbould. Over the course of a steadily accumulating discography—marked by the evocative rural memories of Blencathra and Bogus Notus, followed by the outward-looking communal reflections of Homing—Newbould has established … Read more

UK Jazz & Soul

The Art of Musical Telepathy: Enrico Rava, Joe Lovano, and the Collective Brilliance of Corners

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Executive Overview In the upper echelons of contemporary improvised music, few recordings manage to capture the elusive lightning-in-a-bottle chemistry of unscripted creation quite like Corners, the landmark album by legendary Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava. Recorded in the acoustic sanctuary of Rome’s Auditorium Parco della Musica and meticulously shaped by producer Manfred Eicher for the ECM … Read more

UK Jazz & Soul

Executive Overview

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In the storied annals of post-bop jazz, few instruments hold as legendary a provenance as the apparatus that birthed Night of the Mark VII. When tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan touched down in Paris in March 1975, he walked into a professional awakening. At the height of his mid-decade creative resurgence, a brand-new Selmer Mark VII … Read more

UK Jazz & Soul

The Architecture of Trust: Enrico Rava, Joe Lovano, and the Collective Brilliance of Corners

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Executive Overview In the contemporary landscape of improvised music, few albums manage to balance the wisdom of veteran mastery with the unpredictable electricity of youth quite like Corners, the latest release from legendary Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava. Recorded in July 2025 at Rome’s prestigious Auditorium Parco della Musica and produced by ECM Records mastermind Manfred … Read more

UK Jazz & Soul

Unearthing a Masterpiece: The Story Behind Clifford Jordan’s Night of the Mark VII

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Executive Overview In the dynamic landscape of 1970s jazz, few moments capture the kinetic synergy of hard bop and modal exploration quite like the March 26, 1975, Paris performance of the Clifford Jordan Quartet. Led by legendary tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan alongside pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Sam Jones, and drummer Billy Higgins, the concert has … Read more

UK Jazz & Soul

The Rebirth of a Brazilian Masterpiece: Vampisoul Resurrects Marcos Valle’s Genre-Defying Vento Sul

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Executive Overview In the grand pantheon of Brazilian popular music (MPB), few artists have navigated the shifting tides of musical innovation with the agility, grace, and enduring relevance of Marcos Valle. As the foundational architects of the 1960s bossa nova movement aged, stagnated, or retreated into safe commercial formulas, Valle continuously deconstructed and rebuilt his … Read more

UK Jazz & Soul

Finding Harmony in the ICU: Jon Armstrong’s Voluntary Breath Transforms Trauma into Monumental Orchestral Art

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Executive Overview In the shadowy corridors of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where human vulnerability is met with the unyielding, synthetic pulse of life support, composer and saxophonist Jon Armstrong found himself engaged in a desperate, profound act of sonic translation. Out of the harrowing experience of his son Breen’s extreme premature birth—arriving at … Read more

UK Jazz & Soul

Executive Overview

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In the contemporary landscape of independent music, the trajectory of an artist rarely follows a straight line. For Rollo Doherty, best known as the charismatic frontman of the mid-2010s London guitar outfit ISLAND, the journey has evolved from the booming, wide-screen indie-rock anthems of packed rooms like KOKO to the intimate, contemplative confines of a … Read more

UK Jazz & Soul

Executive Overview

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Norwegian guitar virtuosos Knut Reiersrud and Geir Sundstøl have achieved a rare masterwork in modern acoustic and folk-fusion collaboration. By taking the 17th-century compositions of English baroque master Henry Purcell and filtering them through decades of collective experience in blues, folk, and ambient improvisation, the duo has crafted an auditory artifact that defies easy categorization. … Read more

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