Fluxus takes its root from the word flux: (noun) a state of continued flow; constant or frequent change. In the artists’ own words, it “represents the flow, the evolution we have experienced since the formation of LABtrio in May 2007,” back when they were in high school. Since then,...

A high-energy jazz fusion album you can dance to, CPR Electrio’s self titled album is above all a joint demonstration of their dynamism and sheer joy of playing. CPR Electrio perform groovy music blending dance influences, R&B, and funk with a scope for solo improvisations circumscribed...

Already one of Germany’s most respected young jazz talents, Pablo Held’s (b. 1986) new album Elders will earn him even more veneration. Elders, appropriately titled, is centered on inspirational and influential figures from generations past who have served as role models for Held’s...

Collective improvisation is about exploring various tunes in a variety of traditions with a shared musical chemistry. It’s not a simple task, yet the 3 Cohens - siblings Anat (clarinets, tenor saxophone), Avishai (trumpet) and Yuval (soprano sax) - explore this concept on...

Before pianist Marc Copland advanced his jazz career with his New York Trio recordings on Pirouet Records, he released an under-the-radar album Some Love Songs in 2005. It was a recording that continued in the footsteps of iconic pianist Bill Evans and his trio language, astute music-making...

In contrast to the many jazz albums which place heavy emphasis on soloistic music-making, Ben Wolfe’s belief in the primacy of melody infused his newest album, “From Here I See”. It is a compilation of 12 original compositions, mostly ballads, by Ben Wolfe, presented in a standard jazz...

If there’s one reason to explore this album it’s Paolo Fresu’s tone which resonates with Miles Davis’ aching sound. On his new album Desertico, Fresu manages to express melancholy without hopelessness, especially on the ballads, painting whimsical water colors with a gentle brush...

Duduka Da Fonseca’s story is that of a self-taught drummer who started playing at the age of thirteen. His passion lead him from his hometown of Rio de Janeiro to New York where in the 70s he became one of the few musicians who can be credited with the revival of the Brazilian Jazz scene....

Equilibrium is an impressive debut album you won’t want to miss. Danish bass player Morten Christian Haxholm is a Copenhagen-based artist who studies in the prestigious soloist line at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen. His quartet, which pulls some of the best in New York jazz,...

Piano virtuoso Kenny Barron fell in love with the sound of Brazilian music when he heard Sérgio Mendes on the radio in 1965. A few years later, as a newly adapted style of samba swept across North America – the Bossa Nova movement – Barron performed Brazilian pieces with Dizzy Gillespie....

Confluence, the fourth release from Dave Phillips as group leader, is true to its name: it’s a point of juncture for a broad spectrum of melodic and rhythmic textures which affords the listener a new experience with each spin of the disc. Complex, lyrically capricious and intriguing, this...

What we might interpret to be the hidden meaning in music - and we all interpret it differently - could very well depend less on a specific triggered emotion than on the summation of and transitions between imbued emotional states. Some might call that a storyline. The fourth...