115 articles
John Adcock
I've been lucky enough to write reviews for Jazz Journal since 2009. My main interests lie at the more popular end of the jazz spectrum - pop, soul, blues and funk. European jazz has, to me, never sounded more vibrant and alive than it does at the moment, which is why I enjoy listening to and reviewing it so much. That said, my biggest musical regret is never having seen Art Pepper in concert - he simply was the greatest.
Chief Keegan: The Piles High Club
Dublin-based band knocks out tight, dynamic funk inspired by such as Vulfpeck, The Meters, Lettuce and Galactic
Art Pepper: Art Of Art
In Italy in 1981, the man who wondered why he wasn’t recognised as the world's greatest sax player gave a typically committed performance
Mark Egan: Cross Currents
Former Pat Metheny bassist joins guitar and drums to create a tuneful, immaculately played fusion of country, funk and jazz
Doug Munro: Loop-Mania! 2024
US guitarist shows himself a fine player in a set mixing standards and originals over loop-driven backgrounds
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The 14 Jazz Orchestra: Islands
Band of pros including Will Lee, Randy Brecker and Peter Erskine had no trouble recording this tight set of swing, Latin and fusion remotely
Funkwrench Blues: Soundtrack For A Film Without Pictures
Band including Gary Bartz, Dave Liebman and Bill Evans applies the sounds of Led Zep, Hendrix and jazz fusion to Joseph Campbell's biography
The 8-Bit Big Band: Game Changer
The fourth album from the NYC big band specialising in jazzing video-game themes is as ebullient, swinging and funky as its predecessors
The Brass Monkeys: Lullabite
Brass outfit featuring trumpeter Charlotte Keeffe and French horn man Jim Rattigan range through jazz, blues, reggae, folk, country and more
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Menagerie: The Shores Of Infinity
Melbourne-based nonet's 'spiritual jazz' combines Latin and funk-fuelled modal grooves with poetry and hard-bop soloing
Matt Carter Octet: Read Between The Lines
UK nonet featuring flautist Gareth Lockrane reminds of Birth Of The Cool as it plies blues, bebop and folk strands
Chad McCullough: The Charm Of Impossibilities
Chicago trumpeter mixes hard-bop and rock and reminds of mid-60s Miles Davis in tunes inspired by Olivier Messiaen
David Helbock: Austrian Syndicate
Synthesist honours Zawinul with a mix of jazz and world-flavoured fusion, throwing in some Mozart recast as Cuban party music
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