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CD Reviews

Lost in Translation, Found in Sound: Schaerer’s Anthem for No Man’s Land

Andreas Schaerer, Luciano Biondini, Kalle Kalima, Lucas Niggli – Anthem For No Man’s Land (ACT, 2025) Swiss vocalist Andreas Schaerer, often compared to Bobby McFerrin…

The album cover for Beat Mirage by Mina Cho’s Grace Beat Quartet is a minimalist design. It features a dark, almost black background with jagged, cracked glass-like textures running across the image. A spectral burst of rainbow light emerges in the upper left portion. The album title, Beat Mirage, appears in bold yellow uppercase letters.

CD Reviews

Grace Under Pressure: Mina Cho & The Beat Mirage

Charlie Melville February 20, 2025 No Comments gugak Insoo Kim Korean jazz Korean music Max Ridley Mina Cho Mina Cho & Grace Beat Quartet piano world fusion world jazz Yeongjin Kim

Mina Cho & Grace Beat Quartet – Beat Mirage (International Gugak Jazz Institute, 2024) Rooted in the larger Gugak Jazz Society, a nine-piece powerhouse devoted…

The album cover for With Eyes Closed by Matt Panayides Trio features an abstract, watercolor-style background with overlapping brushstrokes in shades of blue, orange, pink, green, and yellow. The title, "With Eyes Closed," is centered in bold, modern black typography, while "Matt Panayides Trio" appears in a smaller, straightforward font at the bottom.

CD Reviews

Panayides Reworks Old Jazz Tunes

Charlie Melville February 13, 2025 No Comments contemporary jazz Matt Panayides Trio

Matt Panayides Trio — With Eyes Closed (Pacific Coast Jazz PJ93456, 2024) Matt Panayides, a New York City-based virtuoso guitarist and composer, is recognized for…

$The album cover for Ice Breaking by the Dag Arnesen Trio features a close-up of a fractured ice formation, illuminated by golden and blue reflections against a deep black background. The typography is clean and modern, with "Ice Breaking" in a cool blue hue. The names of bassist Magne Thormodsæter and drummer Øyvind Skarbø appear beneath the title, while the Losen Records logo sits subtly in the corner.$

CD Reviews

Breaking the Ice with Dag Arnesen’s ‘Ice Breaking’

Charlie Melville February 11, 2025 No Comments contemporary jazz Dag Arnesen

Dag Arnesen – Ice Breaking (Losen, 2024) Dag Arnesen’s Ice Breaking presents an exploration of jazz, introducing original compositions with new stylistic approaches. With all…

Alice & The Mountain – Stripped cover artwork. An image of dense woods.

CD Reviews

Alice & The Mountain, A Crossover Exploration of Emotion Through Voice and Piano

Charlie Melville February 4, 2025 No Comments Alice & The Mountain folk jazz

Alice & The Mountain – Stripped (Losen Records, 2024) Stripped, a duo album featuring pianist Bernt Moen and vocalist Silje Kåfjord. Known for his work…

Sara Caswell — The Way To You cover artwork. A photo of Caswell holding a violin to her chest.

CD Reviews

Sara Caswell’s violin sings with clarity, passion, and a touch of mystery

Charlie Melville January 29, 2025 No Comments contemporary jazz jazz jazz violin Sara Caswell

Sara Caswell — The Way To You (Anzic Records, 2023) After a seventeen-year hiatus as a leader, jazz violinist Sara Caswell re-emerged with The Way…

The album cover for G Clef Fusion - Geryon Claque Fermata features a colorful, surrealistic design. It portrays three interconnected, multi-colored faces blending into one another, emphasizing intricate swirls, patterns, and textures. The palette of yellows, blues, reds, and oranges creates a sense of dynamic motion. The background has a subtle, dark textured effect, contrasting with the bold central imagery. The title and band name are displayed in soft, contrasting fonts.

CD Reviews

G Clef Fusion’s Triptych of Jazz-Rock Fusion

Charlie Melville January 26, 2025 No Comments fusion G Clef Fusion jazz-rock Progressive rock

G Clef Fusion – Geryon Claque Fermata (self-release, 2024) Chuck Moyer, operating under his alias G Clef Fusion, drops his third full-length album, Geryon Claque…

Ginetta's Vendetta - Fun Size cover artwork. A photo of the artist holding a pocket trumpet, wearing a yellow dress with a red background.

CD Reviews

Ginetta’s Vendetta: Pocket-Sized Powerhouse Delivers “Fun Size” Jazz

Charlie Melville January 22, 2025 No Comments contemporary jazz Ginetta's Vendetta pocket trumpet trumpet

Ginetta’s Vendetta – Fun Size (Kickin’ Wiccan Music, 2024) Ginetta M., a multi-talented musician, composer, and bandleader, shines on Fun Size, her sixth album with…

Celestial Latitude, Featuring FrankGambale - The Haas Company, Vol. 2. The album cover features a minimalist design with a black background and an image of Earth from space, illuminated by a radiant light. The text "The Haas Company Vol 2" is positioned at the top, with the title "Celestial Latitude" in bold, centered font. At the bottom, it highlights "Featuring Frank Gambale."

CD Reviews

Inventive Jazz-Rock Fusion by The Haas Company and Frank Gambale

Charlie Melville January 2, 2025 No Comments Frank Gambale fusion jazz-rock Progressive rock The Haas Company

Celestial Latitude, Featuring Frank Gambale – The Haas Company, Vol. 2 (Psychiatric Records, 2024) Psychiatric Records has released The Haas Company, Vol. 2, featuring veteran…

3Below - Live in Mérida cover artwork. A green photo of the four musicians.

CD Reviews

3Below’s Live in Mérida Captures Improvised Fusion Mastery

Charlie Melville December 18, 2024 No Comments 3Below fusion jazz jazz-rock world music

3Below – Live in Mérida (7d Media, 2024) 3Below is a trio of virtuoso instrumentalists that collaborate to develop remarkable improvised musical pieces. The lineup…