#jazzwise

"Ambrose Akinmusire has always eschewed the usual trumpet clichés to forge a unique sound full of powerful emotions," Jazzwise's Nick Hasted writes of the magazine's February cover subject. "[H]e begins a new adventure on Nonesuch with Owl Song, with Bill Frisell and Herlin Riley … its murmured beauty and shifts of tone revealing more with each listen." You can read the feature here.

Dexter Gordon is one of those rare players in jazz where almost everything he recorded is of great interest today - why? Here was the guy who has influenced a whole legion of tenor players, not least John Coltrane in the 1950s, and in the 1960s a young Jan Garbarek. His cogent, often witty, lines were shaped and developed into solos of great internal logic and cohesion and in today’s pattern-based improvisatory culture he has much of value to posthumously pass on to younger players. After moving to Europe in 1962, he became a Copenhagen resident and here was caught mid-tour with a very competent Dutch rhythm section at a live date in Holland on 3 November 1972. High-spots are two staples of his live performance at this time, ‘The Panther’ and the title track. The one thought you are left with after listening to this excellent vinyl album is that Dexter Gordon’s stature in jazz today should really be much bigger than it is. For example, his compelling playing on ‘Fried Bananas’, is something to behold, sweeping the listener on with the sheer bravura of his playing and constant flow of ideas. - Stuart Nicholson

"Now firmly established in the premier league of jazz vocalists ... Cecile McLorin Salvant is one of music's great communicators," says Jazzwise in the cover story of its latest issue, on Salvant and her "sublime" new album, Ghost Song.

Jazzwise has published its Albums of the Year list, including Cécile McLorin Salvant's Oh Snap, Ambrose Akinmusire's honey from a winter stone, Mary Halvorson's About Ghosts, and Brad Mehldau's Ride into the Sun. You can read more and find the complete list here.

Ambrose Akinmusire covers the new issue of Jazzwise magazine! The February issue, out now, features the "trumpet sensation … unveiling his beautiful new album, Owl Song," says the magazine, as well as an interview with "guitar star Mary Halvorson" on her new album, Cloudward.

Jazzwise magazine's Albums of the Year include Cécile McLorin Salvant’s Mélusine (“Beautifully recorded … Salvant continues to confound and delight at every turn”), Brad Mehldau’s Your Mother Should Know: Brad Mehldau Plays The Beatles (“Exemplary … unexpected twists add a new dimension to the material without abstracting the original songs.”), and Ambrose Akinmusire’s Owl Song (“Ushering a new phase of his highly-acclaimed career, Owl Song presents starkly beautiful music”). You can find the complete list here.

Brad Mehldau is on the cover of Jazzwise magazine! In the March issue, he talks with Selwyn Harris about his new album, Your Mother Should Know: Brad Mehldau Plays The Beatles.

The Jazzwise 20 Best Jazz Albums of 2022 include five Nonesuch albums! Check it out here for recordings by Cécile McLorin Salvant, Mary Halvorson, Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, Brian Blade, and Tigran Hamasyan.