The fear of repetition is probably what underpins Anouar Brahem’s entire recording career. “C’est ma hantise” (It’s my worst nightmare) said the Tunisian-born oud player in a recent interview. Since his début for the Munich-based ECM record label in 1991, the musician has performed in solo or shared the studio with a different ... [Continue Reading]
Jazz
Seán Mac Erlaine: Music for Empty Ears
Seán Mac Erlaine is a Dublin-based reed player, composer and electronic musician who has released two solo albums to date, Long after the Music is Gone (2012) and A Slender Song (2014), both on the Ergodos record label. He is also a master improviser who thrives on eclectic and multi-disciplinary collaborations. Over the years, ... [Continue Reading]
Olivier Bogé: When Ghosts Were Young
This is a recording that can be heard as on ode to the innocence of childhood […] that manages to reconnect with the ghosts […] we once were and with which, as adults, we sometimes fleetingly come into contact again. Vincent Bessières - CD liner notes Born in Toulon in the south of France, Olivier Bogé is a young ... [Continue Reading]
Francesco Turrisi: Northern Migrations
For a musician, whatever his background, improvisation is the most direct form of communication with the listener […] The music we use to express our emotions is the mirror of our soul. Christina Pluhar Franceso Turrisi is an Italian-born and Dublin-based pianist, percussionist and composer constantly hovering between the two ... [Continue Reading]
Yazz Ahmed: La Saboteuse
Born in Bahrain but based in London since the age of nine, Yazz Ahmed is a young jazz trumpeter, flugelhorn player and composer. Having already collaborated and recorded with a wide array of artists and bands to date - Radiohead, Lee “Scratch” Perry or These New Puritans to name a few - the musician has undertaken over the last ... [Continue Reading]
Martin Hayes Quartet: The Blue Room
In a musical context, the word "quartet" can point to a small group of four classical performers as in a string, a baroque, a wind, a vocal or a piano quartet. It can also refer to a small jazz ensemble consisting of a horn, a chordal instrument, a bass instrument and a drum kit. Released on 251 Records on 27 October 2017 last, ... [Continue Reading]
Arve Henriksen: Towards Language
A disciple of Jon Hassell and a founding member of experimental and improvisational band Supersilent, Norwegian trumpet player Arve Henriksen is a captivating contemporary musician who has released nine solo albums to date. Deriving his unique style from the Shakuhachi, the Japanese bamboo flute, he has shared recording sessions ... [Continue Reading]