Born in Ethiopia and based in Washington since the early 1980s, Hailu Mergia is a legendary keyboard player who was a key member of the extraordinary golden era of Ethio-Jazz that first graced the African music scene between the late 1960s and 1970s. "Tche Belew", his seminal record as a leader with the Walias Band in 1977 is ... [Continue Reading]
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Medeski Martin & Wood with Alarm Will Sound: Omnisphere
Originally formed in the late 1990s by two students from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, Alarm Will Sound is a 20 piece chamber orchestra dedicated to the performance of newly composed contemporary classical music. Ever since their initial formation in 1991, jazz trio Medeski Martin & Wood (MMW) has been ... [Continue Reading]
GoGo Penguin: Man Made Object
Based in Manchester and boasting a classic jazz trio line-up of piano (Chris Illingworth), bass (Nick Blacka) and drums (Rob Turner), GoGo Penguin never cease to blur the lines and push the genre into new territories. An electrifying formation on a live stage, it borrows from the “Wall of Sound” aesthetics of rock music. At the ... [Continue Reading]
Søren Bebe Trio: Home
Born in Odense and based in Copenhagen, Danish pianist and composer Søren Bebe belongs to the tradition of melodic and soulful Northern European musicians who tend to favour a minimal and emotional style in their approach to composition and arrangement. “For years I’ve been inspired by musicians like guitarist Jakob Bro, pianist ... [Continue Reading]
Fox Capture Plan: Butterfly
Formed in Tokyo in 2011 by three musicians already active in three separate bands - Ryo Kishimoto on piano (Jabberloop), Hidehiro Kawai (Immigrant's bossa band) on double bass and Tsukasa Inoue (Nhhmbase) on drums - Fox Capture Plan is a young trio playing an exuberant and infectious brand of contemporary jazz influenced by ... [Continue Reading]
Wesseltoft Schwarz Berglund: Trialogue
Since the early 1990s, Norwegian pianist and composer Bugge Wesseltoft has been a fervent innovator, always keen to experiment with a new and contemporary jazz sound - either as a collaborator with Jan Garbarek, Sidsel Endresel or Arild Andersen, as a solo performer, as a leader with his groundbreaking New Conception of Jazz or ... [Continue Reading]
GoGo Penguin: v2.0
GoGo Penguin is a young Manchester-based jazz trio comprised of Chris Illingworth (piano), Nick Blacka (bass) and Rob Turner (drums). Released on 17th February 2014 last on Gondwana Records, v2.0 is the band’s second album which, like a software update, also signals a new line up with Nick Blacka replacing Grant Russell on the ... [Continue Reading]