Back catalogue: All genres

Review: On September 1, 1978, the musical trio Codona graced the stage in Willisau, Switzerland, just before their eponymous debut on ECM. This Swiss FM broadcast immortalised their performance, featuring Collin Walcott on sitar, Don Cherry on trumpet, and Nana Vasconcelos on percussion. Together, they spun a mesmerising tapestry of sound. The opening piece, 'New Light,' spans 16 minutes and evokes pure joy with its enchanting melodies and rhythmic intricacies. Codona's magical encounter showcases the seamless interplay of three masterful musicians and this record captures a moment of musical transcendence that continues to resonate to this day.

Review: Norwegian pianist and composer Eyolf Dale's The Space Between Two Notes is his seventh album on Edition Records. This album reimagines selections from his trio albums Being and The Wayfarers with some rich orchestral arrangements by the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, all conducted by Miho Hazama. Blending jazz and classical music in unique ways, Dale focuses on the nuanced spaces between notes and so creates a horizontal, interval-based musical exploration. His trio, including Audun Kleive on drums and Per Zanussi on bass, achieves a delicate balance while integrating with the orchestra to deliver a seamless, expressive sound that makes for a genre-blurring musical vision.

Review: This is a perfectly obscure record of lush Brazilian jazz that can be either a perfect entry point into this sound or yet another fine piece for the collection of veterans. It is the first ever record of Jaime Alem and Nair De Candia, both of whom sing on it, and has a super cool jazzy feel, with high class and luxurious stings, Latin percussive patterns and a steamy warm atmosphere. Reminiscent of all your favourites but also with a style that is uniquely theirs, this is a cult classic packed with gems like 'A Bica De Chororo' and 'Olhos Para Sao Paulo'.

Review: Ben Kaczor and Niculin Barandun's debut album, Pointed Frequencies come on the tasteful German outlet Dial Records and explores the healing potential of sound through six immersive tracks. Their collaboration began in 2022 for an audiovisual show at Digital Art Festival Zurich and has developed masterfully since and as Kaczor studied sound therapy, Barandun became intrigued by its possibilities, and it is that which has inspired the album's direction. It incorporates therapeutic elements like binaural beats and solfeggio frequencies into a seamless blend of ambient and experimental music. Through free improvisation, the pair have cooked up some brilliantly contemplative pieces here.

Review:  Legendary Brazilian musician Milton Nascimento is often hailed as one of Brazil's greatest ever musical exports and for this album, he collaborated with NPR's "21st Century's jazz genius," Esperanza Spalding. Milton + Esperanza is an album produced by Spalding and one that blends urgent and timeless sounds together into something interesting and new. The album features guest appearances by Dianne Reeves, Paul Simon, Lianne La Havas, and others while fusing Nascimento's enduring musical vision and Latin spirit with Spalding's innovative approach to jazz.

Review: Nat Birchall is a prolific artist and someone who has proven he can do all forms of jazz from spiritual to contemporary to dub styled. This newest album from him finds him join with an expanded Unity Ensemble to cook up six original compositions featuring the likes of cult UK tenor saxophonist Alan Skidmore and guest percussionist Mark Wastell. They all came together initially at a John Coltrane tribute concert at London's Cafe Oto last year and soon found they had a common creative group so decided to get in the studio together. That early synergy shines through here on a lush five track record that is expansive and uplifting and rich in celestial melody.

Review: Tokyo-based jazz fusion trio Nautilus have presented their brand new album, Pacific Voyage in various formats and the is s a nice yellow wax version. It's a breezy summertime soundtrack that blends sunny Yacht Rock with a hint of cool 80s City Pop as the trio reinterprets classic hits from this era and add fresh spins to songs like Bobby Caldwell's 'What You Won't Do For Love' and Toto's 'Georgy Porgy.' The album also features tracks from artists like Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald, Shuggie Otis, Nohelani Cypriano, and Toshiki Kadomatsu, all given the special Nautilus treatment. Guest appearances include UK soul singer John Turrell, German rap legend Toni-L, and Japanese soul artist Ryuto Kasahara.

Review: Japanese jazz-funk trio Nautilus's Sunrise is a vibrant album packed with their signature blend of tight grooves, lush melodies and soulful synths. Drawing inspiration from classic 70s jazz-funk while infusing modern sensibilities, this record delivers a signature dynamic sound that's both nostalgic and fresh. Intricate instrumentation defines it with leader Toshiyuki Sasaki's precise drumming, Shunsuke Umino's fluid basslines and Daisuke Takeuchi's expressive keys driving each track. Highlights include shimmering originals and inventive reinterpretations that once again cement Nautilus as a cornerstone of contemporary jazz-funk innovation.

Review: Trombonist Ira Nepps - a member of Hawaiian AIR classic Lemur who also recorded with the likes of Paul McCartney, Elton John, Leon Russell and BB King - released only one album and that was this one in 1979. Trombone Feeling is a seamless and soulful fusion of jazz and mellow styles with Brazilian sunshine flavours that brings to mind the work of the great Roy Ayers. It features such gems as the lush title track with its sublime female choses and the more low key and soothing sounds of 'Trickey Mickey' as well as plenty more. It has become a cult and hard-to-find album having only been pressed up 500 times back in the day, and it was popularised on the radio on the US mainland.

Review: The New Jazz Orchestra was a British jazz big band that first formed in 1963. The band featured Clive Burrows and was directed form 1964 to 1968 by Neil Ardley. Decca has already reissued their superb debut album Le Dejeuner Sur L'Herbe recently to great acclaim. Now comes this second reissue of their Western Reunion London 1965 album on nice heavy wax. It features them covering classic like Miles Davis's 'Shades of Blue' in sympathetic fashion while there are also more introspective pieces like 'If You Could See Me Now' and high energy big band jazz swing bangs like 'Tiny's Blue.'

Review: Definitely not to be confused with the 2005 Neo-noir US movie of the same name, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was a 1966 Eurospy comedy directed by Duccio Tessari. The plot, which contains several genre tropes, revolves around a retired espionage agent who receives a death sentence after being caught trying to steal L1 million dollars. At the last minute, he's offered a reprieve, if he can steal a secret formula before terrorist Mr X does. We won't divulge what happens next, but as spy movies tend to, there are plenty of curveballs and red herrings thrown at us. Bruno Nicolai, a powerhouse of Italian cinema during this time, whose tracks have found their way into Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Volume 2 and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, delivers an archetypal score for this cinematic canon, packed with tension building percussive movements, swooning and sweeping string and woodwind pop, and even the odd gentle slow dance.

Review: RONIN's latest album marks the band's ninth release since its inception in 2001 and the first to feature bassist Jeremias Keller, who joined in 2020. The group, led by Nik Bartsch and joined by founding drummer Kaspar Rast and longtime reeds player Sha, continues evolving its unique style here with an album recorded live in the studio. It sees SPIN blend new compositions like 'Modul 66' with reimagined classics such as 'Modul 14' and 'Modul 23'. Balancing intricate structures, groove-driven energy and improvisation in equal measure, these sounds are a reflection of RONIN's signature zen-funk style, now enriched with indie and post-rock influences.

Review: Be With are busy reissuing a number of Nucleus albums and Alleycat sure is one of their best. It is packed with stone cold rhythms as well as having a red hot sleeve. The band put it out in 197 and it was their last for the Vertigo label, all meticulously produced by Jon Hiseman. It's as good as any of their work with its funk fusions of prog, jazz and rock all ageing brilliantly well. There are big riff-laden tunes, cop-funk chases and more lush and laidback pieces that will have you deep in the groove. It has all been remastered from original tapes so sounds as good as ever.

Review: Headed up by the revered trumpeter and visionary composer Ian Carr, Nucleus have penned many a seminal album and Elastic Rock certainly is one of them. It was a real milestone for the jazz-rock fusion scene and marked a stunning debut in 1970 that has been hard to find ever since. Saxophonist Brian Smith, guitarist Chris Spedding - who wouold later go on to produce the Sex Pistols' first recordings - drummer John Marshall, bassist Jeff Clyne and sax, oboe and pianist Karl Jenkins all brought energy and invention in equal measure on this one with cuts like the title track offer lovely electric blues, '1916' featuring heavy drums and melancholic horns and 'Striation' being more serene. Be With have remastered this reissue from the original tapes.

Review: A Monster's Expedition + Earlier Adventures is a double disc collection of music from four different video games (namely A Monster's Expedition, Sokobond, Cosmic Express and A Good Snowman Is Hard to Build) all composed by Eli Rainsberry, Allison Walker, Nick Dymond, and Priscilla Snow. Each one is utterly unique to the game and each one comes laden with beautiful soothing atmospheres delicately coloured with ponderous and whimsical melodies that will distract you from whatever you are doing they are so gorgeous. This is music to get lost in and it comes with superbly serene artwork from Andre Rodrigues.

Review: The TBN Trio features pianist, keyboardist and composer Takeshi Ohbayashi alongside Ben Williams and Nate Smith, and between them they have some mad jazz skills. The Big News is their new album on Eight islands and it finds the ensemble merging virtuosity with innovation as each member brings a unique flair. The absorbing record blends Ohbayashi's intricate piano melodies, Williams' pulsating bass lines, and Smith's dynamic drumming and their synergy creates a captivating tapestry that effortlessly traverses various tempos and moods with effortless precision. The album showcases the trio's collective prowess with a rich tapestry of harmonies and rhythms that solidifies their position as a formidable force in the modern jazz landscape.