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The album cover for Abracadabra by Soft Works features a collage-style design with contrasting imagery. A large yellow road sign with a circular arrow dominates the left side. Below it, a keyboard "Return" key is embedded in the composition. On the right, part of a golden Buddha face. The title "Soft Works" appears in bold yellow uppercase letters at the top, with the word "abracadabra" in blue cursive beneath it. The bottom right lists band members: Elton Dean, Allan Holdsworth, Hugh Hopper, and John Marshall. A sticker announces the remastering and two bonus live tracks.

CD Reviews

Hold the Sax: Soft Works Casts a Cool Spell on Abracadabra

Soft Works – Abracadabra (Moonjune, 2025 reissue) When Abracadabra first appeared in 2003, it arrived quietly but confidently, an elusive work from Soft Works, the…

The album cover for The Clockmaster by Clay Wulbrecht features an ornate, antique-style clock face overlaid on a vintage illustration of a cobbled European village. The clock displays exposed gears and intricate machinery at its center, with Roman numerals in alternating red and gold tones marking the hours. The title and artist’s name appear subtly at the bottom right.

CD Reviews

Clocking In: Clay Wulbrecht Bends Time on The Clockmaster

Angel Romero May 8, 2025 No Comments Clay Wulbrecht contemporary jazz fusion Progressive rock

Clay Wulbrecht – The Clockmaster (Instru Dash Mental IDMJZ006, 2025) Clay Wulbrecht, a State College, Pennsylvania-based composer, pianist, and arranger, presents The Clockmaster, a dynamic,…

The album cover for Reach by Kneebody features a black background, a series of elongated, gradient-colored geometric shapes—ranging from white to yellow to red and magenta. They recede into the distance, converging toward a small cyan sphere. The band name and album title appear in lowercase in the top left and right corners, respectively.

CD Reviews

Kneebody Stretches Out: “Reach” Finds New Limbs, Same Pulse

Charlie Melville May 7, 2025 No Comments contemporary jazz funk fusion jazz-rock Kneebody

Kneebody – Reach (GroundUP, 2025) Six years off the radar, Kneebody returns not with a whisper but with Reach, an electrified statement that doubles as…

The album cover for Soft Ffog – Focus features a dramatic seascape where a pirate ship with tattered, flaming sails floats above a stormy ocean. Below, shipwreck survivors struggle on jagged rocks as lightning flashes across the turbulent sky. A lone black dog watches from a cliff, adding to the eerie, fantastical atmosphere. The band's name and album title appear in stylized white lettering in the top right corner.

CD Reviews

Ffoggy Notions: Soft Ffog Sharpen Their Focus With a Bold, Rock-Forward Evolution

Aiden Robinson April 28, 2025 No Comments contemporary jazz jazz-rock Progressive rock Soft Ffog

Soft Ffog – Focus (Is it Jazz? Records, 2025) Norwegian progressive music band Soft Ffog returns with Focus, a follow-up that is at once tighter,…

Theo Croker - Photo credit Bruno Baretto. Theo wearing glasses, holding a trumpet.

Music Videos

Trumpet Meets Electronica: Theo Croker Presents “High Vibrations (feat. Malaya)” Single

Prog News April 24, 2025 No Comments contemporary jazz electronic music fusion Theo Croker trumpet

(headline image: Theo Croker – Photo by Bruno Baretto) American trumpeter, composer, producer, and vocalist Theo Croker has announced his upcoming album Dream Manifest, set…

CD Reviews

Jake Hertzog Expands Into Orchestral Sounds with Ozark Concerto

Charlie Melville April 4, 2025 No Comments contemporary jazz guitar Jake Hertzog western classical music

Jake Hertzog — Ozark Concerto (Zoho Music ZM 202504, 2025) Vituoso jazz guitarist Jake Hertzog returns with Ozark Concerto, his second release on the Zoho…

CD Reviews

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

Charlie Melville March 10, 2025 No Comments Andreas Schaerer contemporary jazz fusion jazz Kalle Kalima Lucas Niggli Luciano Biondini

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…

Bokani Dyer - Radio Sechaba cover artwork. A photo of the artist playing a keyboard.

CD Reviews

Bokani Dyer’s Radio Sechaba Tunes Into South Africa

Kevin Baker February 25, 2025 No Comments Bokani Dyer contemporary jazz South African music world jazz

Bokani Dyer – Radio Sechaba (Brownswood Recordings, 2023) Multi-award-winning pianist and composer Bokani Dyer expands his musical vision with Radio Sechaba, a 15-track album that…

The album cover for Unity by Yosef Gutman Levitt & Itay Sher features a minimalist gradient design. The background transitions from deep blue at the top to a lighter turquoise hue towards the bottom. A small, subtle circular shape, possibly representing a moon or planet, is visible near the lower part of the cover. In the bottom right corner, a warm orange hue appears, contrasting against the cool blue tones. The typography is clean and understated, with the album title Unity centered in white uppercase letters, while the artists' names are positioned discreetly in the upper corners

CD Reviews

Sounds of Devotion: Yosef Gutman Levitt & Itay Sher Reimagine Hasidic Nigunim

Angel Romero February 24, 2025 No Comments contemporary jazz Hasidic music Itay Sher Jewish music western classical music Yosef Gutman Levitt

Yosef Gutman Levitt & Itay Sher – Unity (Soul Song Records, 2024) Bassist Yosef Gutman Levitt and guitarist Itay Sher take a contemporary, orchestral approach…

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…