Category Archives: Reviews

CD Review: Glasgow’s Glasshopper “Fortune Rules”

Glasshopper Artist: Glasshopper
Title: Fortune Rules
Label: AMP Music and Records
Genre: Spiritual jazz/ jazz-rock from the UK
CD & Digital release: 30 November, 2020
Review by Fiona Mactaggart

As anyone who, at last month’s EFG London Jazz Festival experienced the thoughtful and candid, often filmic soundscapes of London-based band Glasshopper will testify, this 6-year-old band’s debut album Fortune Rules has been worth the wait.

Glasshopper. L-R: Jonathan Chung, Corrie Dick, James Kitchman. Photo credit: Marieke Macklon

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Digital Release Review: Shoshin Trio “The Shape of Emptiness Now”

“It’s quite impossible to listen to this music with any preconceived ideas of what music should be.” – Dawoud Kringle

Shoshin TrioArtist: Shoshin Trio
Title: The Shape of Emptiness Now
Label: self-produced
Genre: improv/free jazz/contemporary

Review by Dawoud Kringle

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CD Reviews: GREX (Oakland) “Everything You Said Was Wrong” & “A Love Supreme”

GREXArtist: GREX
Title: Everything You Said Was Wrong
Label: Geomancy Records
Genre: art rock/experimental music

Reviews by Dawoud Kringle

In 2014, I reviewed GREX’ live performance at Spectrum NYC. I recall their performance to be unique, adventurous, and utterly fascinating. In the course of my research, I learned that “grex” is a biological term for an entity composed of several smaller organisms. So I had to wonder what kind of music awaited me in their studio work.

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CD Review: UK’s Paul Harrison’s “Adventures From Home”

Paul HarrisonArtist: Paul Harrison
Title: Adventures From Home
Label: Self-released
Genre: UK jazz
Digital release date: September 1st, 2020

Review by Fiona Mactaggart

Manchester, England-born pianist, composer and arranger Paul Harrison since moving to Scotland a decade ago has become a stalwart of the Scottish jazz scene, playing with such names as Chris Potter, Tommy Smith and Carol Kidd and in everything from solo to big band formats and everything in between. It’s a puzzle as to how he finds the time to also teach at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and The University of Edinburgh, but it comes as no surprise that Harrison has kept himself busy during the quarantine, using the time to create a solo piano tribute to many of his jazz musical influences, many of which are American. 

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CD Review: Maria Schneider “Data Lords”

“In the digital world, data lords, who are in a race to amass the entire world’s information, hypnotize us with conveniences, endless information at our fingertips, limitless entertainment, “curated” content, and endless other enticements. While many of those things offer us wonderful tools that enhance our lives and societies in mind-bending ways, a vast number of the enticements numb our minds and lure us into submissiveness.” – Maria Schneider

Maria Schneider CD CoverArtist: Maria Schneider Orchestra
Title: Data Lord
Label: self published via Mariaschneider.com
Genre: jazz/protest songs

Featured photo above by Dina Regine

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