Matthew Wright, Author at Jazz Journal

Reviewed: Jeb Patton Quartet | The Hemphill Stringtet | Play Misty For Me – Music From The Films Of Clint Eastwood

Matthew Wright — Mon, 19 May 2025 10:44:22 +0000

Jeb Patton Quartet: Whisper Not (Fresh Sound Records FSRCD 5134) It’s absolutely clear where this quartet’s heart lies from one look at the material and its composers. As well as Golson’s title track, we have Dexter Gordon’s Cheesecake, Miles’ Solar, Duke’s Take The Coltrane and two classic standards – Jimmy Van Heusen’s Darn That Dream […]

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Reviewed: Roy Haynes | Ari Hoenig | Prestige Jazz Quartet | Jim Hart Cloudmakers Trio

Matthew Wright — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 09:55:38 +0000

Roy Haynes, Hip Ensemble (WeWantSounds WWSLP100) This month’s arrivals on my doorstep included two drum-led releases. Previously issued on Mainstream (MDCD715), Roy Haynes’ Hip Ensemble is a direct and straightforward piece of modern 70s funk-tinged hard bop. The strong front line, of tenorist and flautist George Adams and trumpeter Marvin Peterson, is keen on carving […]

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Reviewed: Enrico Granafei | Jimbo Ross | Mette Juul | Luciana Bass

Matthew Wright — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 09:33:56 +0000

Enrico Granafei: It’s Hard to Say Goodbye (CAP Records CAP1075) Historically there haven’t been too many jazz harmonica players – the blues collared the market. The name of virtuoso Larry Adler springs up, as a purveyor of Gershwin’s music, but more importantly, Belgian Toots Thielemans, to whom Enrico Granafei has dedicated this album (and to […]

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Obituary: Howard Riley

Matthew Wright — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 11:53:25 +0000

“Only posterity will show whether Howard Riley is a European Cecil Taylor, an avant-garde John Lewis, a jazz Stockhausen or the Howard Riley” reported Martin Davidson after hearing the pianist at the Purcell Room with Barry Guy and Paul Lytton in 1972, and it’s with sadness that Riley’s death was announced on 8 February, at […]

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Reviewed: Tom Smith | Ben Wendel | Angelica Sanchez, Barry Guy & Ramon Lopez | Kyle Shepherd Trio

Matthew Wright — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 11:33:23 +0000

Tom Smith: A Year In The Life (Fey Moose Records FMR001) Suddenly, a resurgence of interest in big bands is in the air. Always been around, but locally, from the London Improvisers Orchestra to the Manchester Big Gay Big Band, rather than countrywide. How economic it is remains a mystery, and whilst Simon Spillett’s appears […]

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Reviewed: Rahsaan Barber | Michael Sarian | John Butcher, Florian Stoffner, Chris Corsano | Monkin’ Around

Matthew Wright — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 10:25:01 +0000

Rahsaan Barber: Six Words (Jazz Music City Records) Hot on the heels of his trombonist brother Roland’s impressive playing on John Alvey’s recent Loft Glow comes this Jazz Music City release by saxophonist Rahsaan Barber, his fourth for the Nashville label. No prizes for guessing whom the Barbers senior named their twins after. There’s an […]

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Reviewed: Mavis Rivers | Irene Kral | Ineza with Alex Webb & The Copasetics | Francesco Bearzatti, Stefano Risso & Mattia Barbieri | Day Dream | Brian Landrus

Matthew Wright — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 13:25:43 +0000

Mavis Rivers: Four Classic Albums Plus (Take A Number, The Simple Life, Hooray For Love, Mavis) (AVID Jazz AMSC1462) Singers are often a tricky bunch – some are referred to simply as popular or even “quality” vocalists, others fall readily under the jazz umbrella. The relatively unknown Mavis Rivers falls into both categories. Originally from […]

Reviewed: John Williamson | John Alvey | Arun Ramamurthy | Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli

Matthew Wright — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 12:37:06 +0000

John Williamson: The Northern Sea (Ubuntu UBU0182) Over the years, one of the many sources of inspiration for composition has been location: Dear Old Stockholm, April In Paris, Moonlight In Vermont, Chelsea Bridge, and so on. No doubt it’s tempting fate, but not many have used the Yorkshire coast as a muse. On the face […]

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Reviewed: New Jazz Orchestra, Neil Ardley | Howard Riley | Gérard Gustin, Chet Baker | Matyas Gayer | Etienne Charles

Matthew Wright — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 12:03:58 +0000

New Jazz Orchestra/Neil Ardley Group: BBC Sessions 1968-1970 (RANDB101) Once again, Nick Duckett’s RandB Records mines the rich vein of material from the BBC archives, lost gems from a changing period of British jazz. The National Jazz Orchestra and Howard Riley were indirectly linked, part of the emerging scene of the late 60s and championed […]

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American Drummers 1959-88

Matthew Wright — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 12:58:56 +0000

An evocative photo collection from Val Wilmer includes Billy Higgins, Kenny Clarke and Ed Blackwell, as well as an off-duty Jimi Hendrix

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