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JANUARY 2015
Click on the Artist/Title to read our review
MANNY ALBAM - ERNIE WILKINS & THEIR ORCHESTRA - The Drum Suite + Son of Drum Suite
JOHN COLTRANE - Golden Disk
ZOE FRANCIS - The Very Thought of You
STAN GETZ QUARTET - At Large: The Complete Sessions 
JOHN HARLE - Hockney – Music From The Film
PAUL JACKSON TRIO - Groove Or Die 
PLAS JOHNSON - This Must Be Plas / Mood for the Blues
JØKLEBA - Outland
LUKAS LIGETI/THOLLEM McDONAS - Imaginary Images
LUMEN DRONES 
MAX LUTHERT - Orbital
WES MONTGOMERY - The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery
LUIZ MORETTO QUINTET - Vampyroteuthis Infernalis
DEBBIE ORTA - Child's Play
IVO PERELMAN & KARL BERGER - Reverie
ANDERS PERSSON/PALLE DANIELSSON/TERJE SUNDBY -  The Second Time Around 
SONNY ROLLINS - The Contemporary Leader
ZOOT SIMS - Zoot Sims At Ronnie Scott's 1961 (The Complete Recordings)
TINGVALL TRIO - Beat
WEST MUSIC CLUB JAZZ BIG BAND - Natural
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FAST TRACKS... More reviews in brief 
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JOE HAKIM  -  Imprints
This is a trio album involving two players, Hakim over-dubbing himself on piano and bass, Matt Slocum completing the line-up on drums. For me, there's no substitute for the excitement that can be generated from the spontaneous interplay of three musicians at the top of their game - you only have to look to the Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett trios to prove this point. Hakim does some nice things on bass in this collection of ten originals that fuses folksy Americana with European Romanticism.

Reviewed by Geoff Eales

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PABLO HELD - The Trio Meets John Scofield  The Trio Meets John Scofield (Pirouet Records)
Various pundits are tipping Pablo Held as the next big piano star which is a big claim considering that the artistic firmament is radiant with similarly talented contenders. Not all of them get the opportunity to play in concert with one of the leading figures of contemporary jazz and for that reason one might have hoped that a little more could have been made of the occasion.
The piano trio element is largely elegiac and bloodlessly introspective with none of the mainly through composed pieces having much form, being diffuse and unfocused. Scofield drifts in and out and often sounds detached from the proceedings and though he breaks free of the rather stultifying atmosphere on a couple of occasions he never sounds as edgy and urgent as when playing in more robust company.The audience seemed to like it, though how they stayed awake throughout the entire set must have been a feat in its self. Perhaps it is one of those recordings that only reveal its virtues after many playings but I have to say that on the basis of a couple of spins, it just doesn’t work for me.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon

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ROBIN WILLIAMSON – Trusting In The Rising Light (ECM)
This is Williamson’s fourth album for ECM and the first to feature all his original compositions and poetry, having previously explored the works of poets including Dylan Thomas, Henry Vaughan and William Blake amongst others. Williamson’s words, for this listener, far outstrip his abilities as a singer, and it is fair to say a little goes a long way. ‘These Hands’ works well as a ‘sung’ composition, but the titles such as ‘Night Comes Quickly In LA’ and most notably ‘Just West of Monmouth’ where the words are spoken are perhaps the highlight of the set.
Making up the instrumental trio with Williamson’s Celtic harp, guitar and Hardanger fiddle we have improvising viola player Mat Maneri and drummer/percussionist, Ches Smith, and it is the work of these two fine musicians that provide the interest in this otherwise fairly bland set.
Reviewed by Nick Lea  

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ROBERTO ZANETTI TRIO  featuring PIETRO TONOLO  -  Minor Time
Though this album is led by pianist Roberto Zanetti, the most impressive soloist is actually his guest. Tonollo has a lovely sound on both soprano and tenor saxophone and his ideas flow beautifully. The stand-out track is "Guadalupe" which begins with an extended sax/drums passage, Tonollo turning up the heat in this Latin-infused number. It reminds me very much of Sonny Rollins in piano-less trio mode. All the compositions are by Zanetti which for the most part plough a Horace Silverish hardbop furrow, the final track, "Big Apple", with its amen call and response section redolent of Miles' "So What".

Reviewed by Geoff Eales

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ECM celebrates 50 years of music production with the Touchstones series of re-issues