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CD Reviews

Brand X: Nothing Theoretical About It

Brand X — Theory Of Nothing (BrandXMusic/MoonJune Records, 2026) Nearly half a century after Brand X’s 1977 American tour, a remarkable cache of reel-to-reel tapes…

The album cover features a kaleidoscopic collage of interlocking geometric forms, concentric arches, and mechanical designs.

CD Reviews

The Samuel Jackson Five – A Passage to Elsewhere: Five Musicians, No Fixed Destination

Angel Romero November 11, 2026 No Comments Actionfredag art rock Åsa Ree Avant-Prog contemporary jazz Dag Stiberg electronic music Experimental Electronica experimental rock Imaginary Folk Instrumental Rock jazz-rock Jenny Berger Myhre Jordsjø Kosmische Musik krautrock Magnus Moriarty Magnus Nielsen Meer Now We’ve Got Members Ola Mile Bruland post rock post-rock Progressive rock psychedelic rock Suburban Savages Sven Andrén The Chronicles of Father Robin The Samuel Jackson Five Thomas Meidell Trollfest Tusmørke

The Samuel Jackson Five – A Passage to Elsewhere (Karisma Records, 2026) Nearly a decade after their previous full-length release, Norwegian instrumental quintet The Samuel…

Gustavo Viríssimo - Reflexos cover artwork. A duplicated photo of Gustavo with a guitar in the middle.

CD Reviews

Gustavo Viríssimo Explores Brazilian Jazz on Debut Reflexos

Charlie Melville October 7, 2026 No Comments Brazilian music contemporary jazz Gustavo Viríssimo improvisation jazz-rock

Gustavo Viríssimo – Reflexos (2026) Brazilian virtuoso guitarist, composer, and producer Gustavo Viríssimo has released his debut album, Reflexos, an elegant, untroubled, and persuasive eight-track…

Metropole Orchestra - Arakatak cover artwork. An illustration of a green tree with many branches, watched by an ant.

CD Reviews

Arakatak, a Bright 80th Anniversary Celebration for Metropole

Charlie Melville September 12, 2026 No Comments contemporary jazz fusion jazz-rock Metropole Orchestra orchestral jazz

Metropole Orchestra – Arakatak (V2, 2026) Metropole Orchestra has put together Arakatak, a fantastic new album that celebrates the ensemble’s 80th anniversary. The collection brings…

Skúli Sverrisson with Bill Frisell - For All Your Flowers cover artwork. A painting of a mountain top with gray rocks and yellow-green ground cover. Two tiny humnoid figures stand on top.

CD Reviews

Bill Frisell and Skúli Sverrisson Reunite for Duo Album ‘For All Your Flowers’

Angel Romero August 6, 2026 No Comments Bill Frisell contemporary instrumental music contemporary jazz Skúli Sverrisson

Skúli Sverrisson with Bill Frisell – For All Your Flowers (Newvelle Records, 2026) For All Your Flowers (NV040), the latest entry in its Newvelle Ten…

Sex Magick Wizards Suola ja Noaidi cover artwork. A high-contrast cover featuresn inverted-color landscape in reds, blacks, and whites beneath a dark crimson sky. At the center, a mirrored white form resembling feathers, bones, or ritual totems stands against a barren marsh with leafless trees. A black banner across the top displays the artist name "SEX MAGICK WIZARDS" and the album title "SUOLA JA NOAIDI" in bold white capital letters.

CD Reviews

Sex Magick Wizards Explore Sámi History on Suola ja Noaidi

Charlie Melville July 23, 2026 No Comments contemporary jazz improvisation joik Norwegian music psychedelic rock Sex Magick Wizards world music

Sex Magick Wizards – Suola ja Noaidi (Is it Jazz? Records, 2026) The intersection of indigenous tradition and creative music in Scandinavia has produced a…

Snarky Puppy Somni cover artwork. An illustration of tree roots painted in various colors.

CD Reviews

Snarky Puppy and Metropole Orkest Reunite for a Masterpiece Called Somni

Angel Romero June 16, 2026 No Comments Annerieke Nentjes Annie Tångberg Benjamin de Boer Bill Laurance Bob Lanzetti Bob Reynolds Bobby Sparks II Chris Bullock Chris McQueen contemporary jazz David Kweksilber David Peijnenborgh Dobril Popdimitrov Elisabeth Otra Sangenaro Emile Visser Erik Winkelmann Ewa Zbyszynska Federico Nathan Frank Wardenier fusion Gideon Nelissen Herman van Haaren Hugo Freitas Iris Schut Isabella Petersen Jamison Ross Jan Bastiani Janine Abbas Jascha Albracht Jason “JT” Thomas Jasper van Rosmalen Jay Jennings jazz jazz-rock Joel Siepmann Julia Jowett Justin Stanton Keita Ogawa Koen Smits Larnell Lewis Leo Janssen Linda Lukas Maartje Kraan Marc Scholten Marcelo Woloski María Ángeles Chaparro Fuentes María Cristina González Perez Mariël van den Bos Mark Lettieri Martin van den Berg Mason Davis Maxime Le Minter Merel Jonker Metropole Orkest Michael League Michelle Brunt Mike “Maz” Maher Murk Jiskoot Nate Werth Nico Schepers Nikki Glaspie Norman Jansen Paul van der Feen Pauline Terlouw Peter Delannoye Pieter Hungeld Rani Kumar Raquel Marin Garcés Ray Bruinsma Ries Schellekens Róbert Bába Robinson Khoury Ruben Margarita Sanne Bakker Sarah Koh Sjoerd Dijkhuizen Snarky Puppy Valentine Blangé Vera Laporeva Zach Brock

Snarky Puppy and Metropole Orkest – Somni (GroundUP Music, 2025) Somni, Snarky Puppy and Metropole Orkest’s second collaborative album, was recorded live during three nights…

An abstract album cover featuring washes of blue, gold, peach, and deep red that resemble sunlight reflecting across water. The title, Faster Than We Know, appears in handwritten script, while “Benjie Porecki” is set below in blue lettering.

CD Reviews

Benjie Porecki Catalyzes Trio Chemistry on Faster Than We Know

Charlie Melville June 5, 2026 No Comments Benjie Porecki contemporary jazz funk soul-jazz

Benjie Porecki — Faster Than We Know (Funklove Productions, 2026) Virtuoso keyboardist, organist, and pianist Benjie Porecki masterfully navigates multiple musical dialects with uncommon fluency.…

A black background with a colorful abstract watercolor painting at the center. The artwork features sections of blue, green, and red-orange, connected by branching lines and dotted with small yellow leaf-like shapes.

CD Reviews

Emily Bezar’s ‘Vista,’ Fragments Of A Fruitful Imagination

Angel Romero May 3, 2026 No Comments ambient contemporary jazz electronic music Emily Bezar jazz-rock Progressive rock

Emily Bezar — Vista (2025) Vista (2025) finds American musician, producer, and composer Emily Bezar at a crucial vantage point. Through this exceptional, masterfully crafted…

Jan Gunnar Hoff Group – Voyage cover artwork. A coastal landscape photo.

CD Reviews

Jan Gunnar Hoff Group’s Voyage: European Jazz-Rock At Its Most Elegant And Explosive

Angel Romero April 6, 2026 No Comments bass contemporary jazz drums European jazz fusion Gary Husband guitar improvisation instrumental music Jan Gunnar Hoff jazz fusion jazz-rock keyboards Kjersti Holst Losen Records Max Franosch Michael Hartung Morten Lund Nguyên Lê Norwegian jazz Odd Gjelsnes Per Mathisen piano progressive jazz Samuel Barber Synthesizer world music

Jan Gunnar Hoff Group – Voyage (Losen Records, 2025) Voyage by Jan Gunnar Hoff Group is a truly fantastic, beautifully-crafted jazz-rock fusion album that brings…