Så er det på tide å erklære sommeren for åpnet. Nå står jazzfestivalene i kø, og vi kan oppleve en rekke nye og spennende artister rundt om. I tillegg kan vi sjekke ut hva de europeiske jazzredaksjonene anbefaler for den neste måneden. Og her er hvilke tips de kommer med for mai måned.

Nuno Catarino, jazz.pt:
SUPERNOVA ENSEMBLE On/Off (self-released)

Henning Bolte, freelance:
MARCO ULLSTEIN QUINTET Detached Views (Emme Records)

Sebastian Scotney, UK Jazz News:
JAY DAVIS Bad Trad (Fresh Sound New Talent)

Lars Mossefinn, Dag og tid:
INGEBJØRG LOE BJØRNSTAD Duv (Øra fonogram)

Cim Meyer, All That …:
PATA POLARIS Heartland (Pata Music)

Matthieu Jouan, citizenjazz.com:
AMALIS EAHL Breaking/Building Habits (Sauajazz)

Axel Stinshoff, Jazz thing:
DIETER ILG Motherland (Jazzline)

Luca Vitali, Giornale della Musica:
FERDINANDO ROMANO –  The Legends of Otranto (GleAM Records)

Yves Tassin, JazzMania:
MACONDO TRIO Morayò (Challenge Records)

Jos Demol, jazzhalo.be:
IN A ROUND TRIO – In A Round Trio (Self-produced)

Kaspars Zavileiskis, jazzin.lv:
KÄRLIS AUZINS DOUBLE TRIO Equilibrium Suite (Jersika Records)

Jacek Brun, www.jazz-fun.de:
RONNY GRAUPE’S SZELEST Newfoundland Tristesse (BMC Records)

Mike Flynn, Jazzwise:
MARY HALVORSON About Ghosts (Nonesuch)

Krzysztof Komorek, Donos kulturalny:
JOËLLE LÉANDRE, ANDRZEJ KARALOW Flint (Fundacja Ensemblage)

Jan Granlie, salt-peanuts.eu:
PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE CIRCUS / THE EX GUITARS Turn Thy Loose (PNL060)

Dick Hovenga, Written in Music:
HELENA CASELLA Pit of Impression (W.E.R.F. Records)

Viktor Bensusan, jazzdergisi.com:
POLAR BEAR Dim Lit and Held on the Tips of Fingers (Edition Records)

Why did I choose –

Jos Demol:
A trio with vocals, piano and saxophone is unusual in itself, but what Sarah Klenes, Bram De Looze and Sylvain Debaisieux have created together borders on the extraordinary. Last year, the CD was released almost unnoticed. Now comes the digital release. (Georges Tonla Briquet)

Kaspars Zavileiskis:
Kārlis Auziņš is one of the leading Latvian saxophonists, who follows his own creative path and is not afraid to experiment. He is interested in both minimalism and saturated sound, has already created a program with a string quartet, and features of global music are also felt in his work.
But Kārlis is basically a jazzman and this is an original music tribute to one of the greats – John Coltrane. With two double basses (one of the most dynamic Latvian bassists Edvīns Ozols and the great German multi-instrumentalist David Helm) and two drum kits (one of the finest Latvian drummers Kaspars Kurdeko and the expressive Danish colleague Simon Olderskog Albertsen) as a solid foundation, Auziņš with the vibrations of tenor and soprano saxophones leads us on a spiritual jazz journey through his and our consciousness, as well as a great sound that is most deliciously enjoyed on vinyl.

Matthieu Jouan:
When we first heard Amalie Dahl more than two years ago, we immediately recognized the saxophonist’s creative potential. Since then, with her group Dafnie or in other configurations, she has missed no opportunity to reveal herself as an inventive composer and creator, as well as a musician with a free, sharp and lively phrasing. With this quartet, she presents the aptly named project «Breaking/Building Habits», at once a continuation of a European avant-garde tradition and a search for a new path, thanks in particular to the original timbres of the combined vibraphone and saxophone. It’s also an opportunity to welcome the creation of the new label Sauajazz, for which this is the first vinyl reference, proof that there are still some fools on the chessboard defending the king of jazz!

Jan Granlie:
This release from Paal Nilssen-Love, his Circus and the three Dutch guitarists (Terrie Hessels – electric guitar, Andy Moor – electric guitar and  Arnold De Boer – electric guitar, vocals), I believe is unparalleled in today’s modern jazz landscape. This is energetic, beautiful, devilishly violent and heartfelt music that only the best of the best can come up with.

Cim Meyer:
An excellent trio with German Robert Stein (ts), Italian Nicolao Valiensi (euph) and German Michael Heupel on various flutes. We are far from the energy of the New York streets and the American swing in the traditional sense. But the trio manages to create varied soundscapes in calm, sometimes almost meditating, tempi. A European sound ideal with the use of different dampers and more unconventional effects. The composer Robert Stein plays passionately and sensitively, and the saxophone’s sharper sound contrasts nicely with the softer sound of the horn and flute.
All three exhibit deeply personal and improvised expressions and in that sense it is exiting music and within the jazz idiom.

Viktor Bensusan:
A vinyl double album pinpointing one of the elevated moments of UK jazz before the emergence of the acclaimed London Scene. Here the question should be: What’s the use of time for the Polar Bear who can’t watch anything but sunrise?

Nuno Catarino:
Founded in 2022 by João Tiago Dias and José Alberto Gomes, Supernova Ensemble is an artistic collective dedicated to innovative music, that explores the fields of performance, new media and sound art. This album features three renowned guests from the jazz field: João Mortágua, Mário Costa and Miguel Moreira. The music starts from pre-prepared, structured and organized materials, which are expanded by the interaction of all the musicians, while exploring improvisation. The result is an original proposal that mixes ideas and crosses style boundaries.

Henning Bolte:
Detached View is a mature album of German-Italian vibraphonist/  percussionist Marco Ullstein, presently studying at Amsterdam Conservatory. On first listening it reminds of Gary Burton’s famous quintet of the early 70s with Pat Metheny and Peter Erskine but soon you realize the saxophone as extra accent next to the electric guitar. You get the vibraphone here as leading instrument in its full range flowing into and out of the wonderful layered weavings of the group with Emiliano Roca (g), Pietro Mirabassi (sax), Arjun Amdas (b), and Francesco V. Parsi (dr). The sophisticatedly balanced music is a sheer pleasure for lovers of that instrument with its magics and can for sure charm a lot new listening ears. Together with harp the vibraphone is clearly in the lift in the recent past – with the group of Patricia Brennan and Carlos Bica’s 11:11 group as outstanding examples (see my chart choices of September 2024 and December 2024).
Ullstein just won the International KEEP AN EYE Award – an award for outstanding young musicians from five participating schools in Barcelona (Escola Superior de Musica de Catalunya), Trondheim (Jazz Performance Programme NTNU), Boston (Berklee College of Music), New York (Manhattan School of Music), and Amsterdam (Conservatorium van Amsterdam) – with his new group CALIMA from Amsterdam comprising Miguel Valente (sax), Jules Charbonnier (p), Ton Felices (b), and Ludvig Holde Søndergaard (dr).

Dick Hovenga:
Helena Casella is a Belgian-based singer/keyboardist with a Brazilian background who writes her own songs, which she recorded for her debut with a host of musicians. In drummer Euan Jenkins, bassist Joel Svedberg, guitarist Johnny Biner and Halfpastseven alongside her on keys, she has an excellent and very smoothly playing band together.
Pit of Impression is one of those albums that convinces in its international atmosphere, both in compositions and vocals, playing and production. Without further knowledge you could say that Casella recorded the album with a selection of great London jazz guests and that she herself is also in the middle of that scene. This is all the more interesting since she studied in Amsterdam as well as in Belgium.
Casella has found a global vibe in her music that is full of confidence and conviction. And the way the musicians around her fill out her songs, with guitarist Biner always in a cool heroic role, sounds equally convincing. Cool how she often builds up her songs in languid atmospheres and builds them out with her band.

Sebastian Scotney:
Drummer/composer Jay Davis, James Allsopp on reeds, Mike Soper on trumpet and Huw V. Williams on bass  have produced a «consistently engaging set», in the words of our UKJN reviewer Jon Turney. Tunes which have emerged from this consistently inventive drummer for a great band. You can literally feel the trust, the liking, the respect they have for each other.

Krzysztof Komorek:
An album created by double bassist Joëlle Léandre and pianist Andrzej Karałow. These artists, from different generations, are united by their exceptional creativity. The recording took place at Studio S4 of Polish Radio in Warsaw, resulting in nine tracks lasting together just under forty minutes. Those nine «flints» emerged from spontaneous improvisation. While there are moments of heightened expression, the duo’s conversations mostly feel quite restrained. That said, it is Andrzej Karałow who exhibits a bit more restraint, while Joëlle Léandre contrasts this beautifully with the heightened intensity of her presence. The artistry of both musicians shines through in their ability to perfectly sense how to behave—when to remain in the background and when to highlight their playing. They masterfully transition from speaking with one voice to clashing their individual instrumental narratives. The whole album unfolds as a fascinating, imagination-stirring record of a meeting of musical mastery.

Jacek Brun:
The main characteristics of this project are the extraordinary ability to communicate with each other, the flow of energy and mutual inspiration. Lucia Cadotsch’s voice, the lyrics and the very interesting combination of background and improvised elements make the album a real treat for the ears. It is a musical collective in which no one plays over the other, and we will not find improvised show effects or fiery solo parts here. This music captivates with its content. A great project by three outstanding artists that should not be ignored.

Yves Tassin:
A pleasure not to be missed, and music to be enjoyed without moderation. (Jacques Prouvost)