Inventio is an inventive project at all levels, beginning with the instrumentation. Marco Ambrosini is one of very few musicians playing nyckelharpa outside the Swedish folk tradition, and Jean-Louis Matinier has similarly taken the accordion beyond any ‘folkloric’ frame of reference. On the present disc, the French-Italian duo plays a programme inspired by the baroque sonatas of Bach and Biber but also by the lyrical cadences of Pergolesi. They adapt and arrange works of each of these masters, and contribute compositions of their own. Following a path from ancient to modern music, they improvise together, finding new sound-colour combinations in the special blending of their instruments…

This album is something of a legend in the annals of ECM lore, as it was the only ever recorded by the fantastically talented Steve Eliovson. With Collin Walcott on percussion for support, the since unheard-from guitarist carves lasting impressions that can now be thankfully heard on CD. The experience begins in “Venice” (as in California), where the guitar speaks with tabla like two continents connected by tectonic plates beneath an ocean. Eliovson’s sonorities are pristine, especially in “Earth End” and in “Slow Jazz,” where the precision of finger placement and the occasional bent note add a soulful turn of phrase. The album’s portal is “Awakening,” a submarine communion of gongs that closes one door while opening another. The title track is buoyed by a glimmering triangle and arpeggios from an internal guitar, while the external speaks in tongues with the various percussive accents that flit in and out of its view.

Mode for Titan proves that the bass is a melodic and ambient force in its own right. Writing on — and exclusively for — the bass, Josh Werner explores new dimensions of composition and improvisation, effortlessly moving through varying sonic textures, all without a conventional rhythm section. Producer Bill Laswell helps steer seasoned composer and performer (and abstract painter) Werner through novel instrumental territory, including the sitar bass, seven-string bass and fretless bass. The wide array of influences on Mode for Titan reflects Werner's vast experience and diverse skill set, yet the music maintains an introspective focus and understated minimalist beauty. Laswell's production endows this sonic journey with a vast sense of space, painted in an array of colors as boundless as the producer's own palette.

Holy Abyss is an international collaborative effort between American guitarist Joel Harrison, Italian bassist Lorenzo Feliciati, Vietnamese-American trumpeter Cuong Vu, Great Britain's Roy Powell on piano and B-3, and American drummer and percussion master Dan Weiss. Though this quintet comes together for the first time here, Harrison has long worked with Weiss, and Feliciati with Powell and Vu. Of the eight compositions , Harrison and Feliciati each contribute three and Vu, two.

Having a String Choir perform The Music of Paul Motian is certainly an attention-grabber if one knows anything about Paul Motian's contributions to the jazz world. Motian is a veteran drummer and a composer, not a member of a chamber group (although he started out on guitar early in his career before making the drums his main instrument). So what does a Motian-related project have to do with strings? This early-2010 recording, it turns out, finds guitarist Joel Harrison paying tribute to Motian with the help of fellow guitarist Liberty Ellman and a string quartet consisting of Christian Howes and Sam Bardfeld on violin, Dana Leong on cello, and Mat Maneri or Peter Ugrin on viola.

Mia Brentano’s Hidden Sea. 20 songs for 2 pianos. That’s the title of a CD released in 2018 by a hitherto unknown newcomer, containing works made available for the first time. The album was surprisingly successful, and in the USA, the classic magazine Fanfare rated it as one of the best albums of the year. The catchy music from the “no-man’s-land between classical, jazz, pop and minimal music” seems to have struck a chord, especially as it was played by two wonderful young pianists who could easily handle the virtuoso pieces.

Keiko Matsui is well known for blending smooth jazz, new age and world music genres together to form a rather theatrical and dramatic fusion. This live album is in some ways both a "Best Of" and an improved master of her better work before the end of the 90s. The sound quality and production is excellent - kudos to both her husband Kazu (producer) and the mixing and engineering team because all parts sound clear, full and excellent.
In terms of melody, progressions, voicing and so on, Keiko doesn't break new ground, but in terms of arrangement, selection of instruments, and the 'feel' of the music she's manages to give her material an unique and enjoyable signature. This album brings that to the fore very nicely, with many of her more genre-defying pieces included…

Unique in Europe: Under the artistic direction of the Austrian guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel, six and nine jazz musicians, who were selected by a specialist jury for the Focusyear in the Jazzcampus Basel from applications submitted worldwide, meet to spend a whole year together with the Focusyear with a scholarship to devote the band intensively to the music.

Pianist Satoko Fujii introduces a new trio with two younger and very active musicians on the Japanese jazz scene–bassist Takashi Sugawa and drummer Ittetsu Takemura–recording in 2020 at Pit Inn in Tokyo for their 3rd live date together, performing five lyrical Fujii original compositions, including "Aspirations" from her album with Leo Smith & Ikue Mori.

Once you’ve heard Pat Metheny you will always recognise him, no matter what company he’s in or what instrument he’s playing, be it a simple acoustic guitar or some unlikely invention of his own. Beneath it all there’s a frank, open-hearted tunefulness that keeps the music airborne. This double album, recorded at the end of a year-long tour by his Unity Band, is as polished and sophisticated as any, but moments such as the opening melody of This Belongs to You or the gradual unfolding of Born are just plain elegant. There’s a similar quality about saxophonist Chris Potter’s playing, and all four are so relaxed in each other’s company that everything flows beautifully.

Produced by Laurent Cugny and Daniel Richard for Orchestre National De Jazz. Laurent Cugny - Bandleader. Ranks alongside George Gruntz as prime European contemporary composer, leader. His large orchestra is remniscent of Gil Evans big band in final stages; his pieces have quirky, unpredictable quality, as do his recordings.
The album was recorded in studio and live in 1994 and 1995.

The Simon Spiess trio invites the listener in with strong melodies, carefully attended by bandleader. One is met with a clear feeling of dedication and attention to every detail as the trio floats on a lively grid of the dusty sounding rythmsection. A beautiful broad sounding album that shows great promise for the future of this young Swiss trio.

Keiko Matsui is usually classified as a jazz musician, which tends to mean that she doesn't get very good reviews, since she is reviewed by jazz critics, while her music actually is best described as a hybrid consisting of equal parts pop, jazz, and new age. Matsui can be an impressive keyboard soloist at times, but her recordings consist of textured tracks that find her featured playing set within a soundscape characterized by synthesized drums and strings. Whisper From the Mirror, her 11th album, is typical of her work, consisting of a series of four- and five-minute instrumental pieces full of shimmering, sustained sounds that pillow Matsui's delicate single-note runs and stately chord patterns. Derek Nakamoto's arrangements are occasionally stirring, but never frantic, and usually they emphasize flow over rhythm, just as the keyboardist shows more interest in sustaining moods than demonstrating her chops…

When the British pianist and composer John Taylor died suddenly in 2015, his 1990s work in a trio with the former Weather Report drummer Peter Erskine and bassist Palle Danielsson was treated as something of an afterthought in such a rich career. But the Erskine-led group had a unique sound and repertoire (Taylor’s chemistry of romantic pastoralisms and jazz drive was a key influence), and a rare collaborative alertness. This box packages all four of their ECM recordings between 1992 and 1997. Taylor’s darting, jig-like Clapperclowe sounds wonderful here with Erskine’s warm-toned pattering behind it; the drummer’s faintly Jarrettish On the Lake is a ballad highlight; Taylor’s devotion to Bill Evans’ ambiguously romantic harmonies surfaces frequently…

This recording wasn’t planned. It was a gift that came from the world essentially stopping in place in early 2020 and not fully continuing again for some time. Most of us went into silent, or stealth, mode and I was no exception. It was the first time in over 25 years that I had the time and resources to deep dive into my composing in a way that wouldn’t be interrupted by going on the road. I ended up with over 30 new tunes, I finished many older tunes, and ended up with 6 or 7 full records to release.