Europe Jazz Media Chart June 2025

Viktor Bensusan, jazzdergisi.com:

JAN GUNNAR HOFF GROUP Voyage
Losen Records

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Viktor Bensusan:

"This new power quartet of Hoff, Lê, Mathisen, Husband is acoustic, electric and eclectic..."

Nuno Catarino, jazz.pt:

MOTIAN & MORE Gratitude
Phonogram Unit

jazz.pt
BANDCAMP

Nuno Catarino:

"Inspired by the rich legacy of drummer and composer Paul Motian, bassist Hernâni Faustino created the Motian & More project. The aim is to go far beyond the confines of a tribute band, with the project being seen as a vehicle for explorations and reinterpretations. Improvisation plays an important role in this quartet, which is completed by saxophonist José Lencastre, guitarist Pedro Branco and drummer João Sousa."

Henning Bolte, freelance:

MARILYN CRISPELL/THOMMY ANDERSSON
/MICHALA ØSTERGAARD-NIELSEN The Cave
ILK Music

YOUTUBE 
BANDCAMP

Henning Bolte:

"When listening to THE CAVE it’s primarily the pure sounds listeners perceive and take in, not so much the instruments generating them. And the sounds and sound-combinations are sober, essentialized, not embellished, enhanced, magnified or mystified. Listeners can keep to them, trust them surrender naturally, find their place in it.  

Although the music is for a greater part designed by a percussionist, the leader Michala Østergaard, it is not rhythmically rolling forward, but taking up the pauses in time, the air in space and the gliding and reflection of light reconciled as natural impulses of movement and repetitions allowing listeners self-determined acceptance, immersion and following. Musical gestalt offers and emerges here with evident graciousness.  

It should be clear that the music of this album is characterized by a special way of creating and offering music in mental, emotional and physical space and time coordination within a well-formed variation of tension that enables the listener to enact his/her own listening dramaturgy. This all remembers of, has similarities with the working of Sober Theatre of Jerzy Grotowski (1933-1999).  

Astonishing is how Østergaard, Crispell and Andersson created a tension arc via eight pieces from the loose architecture of the opening piece “The Cave” to the dynamically flowing and pupating piece “Smile of a Butterfly” in the end with its radiating inner magic that takes piano trio to a higher level."

Peter Slavid, UK Jazz News: 

TRILOK GURTU Mirror
Jazzline

Peter Slavid:

"Sitting at the boundary between the different improvising traditions of Indian classical music and Western jazz, with influences from African, Celtic and Balkan music, this is the 22nd album under Gurtu’s name. This album sees the master percussionist returning after a 20 year absence to play with the Italian Arké String Quartet.

And how do percussion and a string quartet make for jazz?"

Lars Mossefinn, Dag og tid: 

ARVE HENRIKSEN/TRYGVE SEIM/
ANDERS JORMIN/MARKKU OUNASKARI Arcanum
ECM

YOUTUBE

Patrik Sandberg, Orkesterjournalen: 

COSMIC EAR Traces
We Jazz

BANDCAMP

Patrik Sandberg:

"The new bandformation Cosmic Ear consist of Goran Kajfeš, Mats Gustafsson, Christer Bothén, Kansan Zetterberg  and Juan Romero. Cosmic Ear mixes original material by Kajfeš, Gustafsson and Bothén with works by Don Cherry, Codona and Frank Lowe in a unique mix of music originating in Mali’s hunter music, Moroccan Gnawa traditions, Swedish folk music, South American percussion, free improvised music & free jazz."

Cim Meyer, All That ...:

MIRNA BOGDANOVIĆ Awake
Berthold Records

https://www.mirnabogdanovic.com/

Cim Meyer:

"The 35 years old Bosnian-Slovenian vocalist is now firmly established in Germany, and she has received the prestigious Deutcher Jazzpreis.

On AWAKE the regular line-up of Peter Meyer (g), Povel Widestrand (p), Felix Henkelhausen (b) and Philip Dornbusch (d), are expanded to feature the guests Asger Uttrup Nissen (s), Paul Santner (ukulele), Carl Morgan (synth) and even The Rothko String Quartet. The inside cover shows nine young smiling faces. All 12 have reason to keep on smiling. AWAKE is a grand release that feeds on art pop and modern jazz. Extensively and exquisitely produced by Chris Hyson. A rich and complex sound. Multi-layered and varied. Bogdanović as well as the rhythm group and the strings flow through different moods and the interplay is on a high level. Bogdanović’s background in MTV, Balkan rock and classical masters like Debussy and Chopin gives the project sweet flavors. 

AWAKE is not a series of individual singles in a random sequence. There is a real and familiar story with a beginning, a middle, and a closure behind the lyrics printed in the liner notes."

Matthieu Jouan, citizenjazz.com:

MARK SOLBORG TUNGEMÅL Confluencia
ILK Records

BANDCAMP

Matthieu Jouan:

"Good news from Denmark once again! With his latest album of his quartet Tungemål, Confluencia, Copenhagen-based guitarist Mark Solborg continues his musical exploration of interaction, narration, and exchange. Solborg pays close attention to the context of his work, and his musical creations are always presented in thoughtful settings. He likes to propose a coherent whole that goes beyond the sound function, incorporating graphic creation, editing, video, etc. Here, surrounded by three delicate improvisers — Susana Santos Silva on trumpet, Simon Toldam on keyboards, and Ingar Zach on percussion — he unveils compositions with a melodic narrative and an imperfect, noisy quality bordering on the living and organic. Tungemål is another stone added to Solborg's edifice, which he has been patiently constructing over the years with a plumb line. It takes on its full meaning with a little hindsight. It is a work that is as musical as it is architectural and a coherent whole."

Axel Stinshoff, Jazz thing:

SHARON MANSUR Trigger
ACT

Luca Vitali, Giornale della Musica:

MARIA FAUST SACRUM FACERE
Marches Rewound & Rewritten
Stunt Records

BANDCAMP
YOUTUBE

Yves Tassin, JazzMania:

ANNELEEN BOEHME Eunoia
WERF Records

BANDCAMP
YOUTUBE

Yves Tassin:

"I love the double bass, and I love this album by Anneleen Boehme, rich in contrasts, with no downtime, no awkwardness whatsoever."

Jos Demol, jazzhalo.be:

ANNELEEN BOEHME Eunoia
WERF Records

BANDCAMP
YOUTUBE 

Jos Demol:

"Anneleen Boehme is a prominent figure in the Belgian jazz scene, known for her work as a double bassist across various projects. Her virtuosity on the double bass was already evident in LABtrio, and her skill as both a composer and bandleader was showcased in Grand Picture Palace. Now, in her solo work, we experience Anneleen’s genuine vulnerability, as she explores the deep connection with her ever-present companion: the double bass. Her music is a balm for the soul, and her playing is deeply moving, leaving no listener unaffected.

In this solo project, Anneleen Boehme pushes the boundaries of the double bass, striving to transcend them in all their forms. She places particular emphasis on the instrument's acoustic sound, subtly highlighting its rich, resonant voice. The music that warms her heart is at the core of this exploration: both her original compositions written specifically for the double bass, as well as solo arrangements of existing works and improvisations. Her passion for both jazz and classical music is beautifully expressed throughout. This is an embrace of the double bass, its deep tones, and pure musicality. Eunoia is Anneleen Boehme’s debut solo album."

Kaspars Zavileiskis, jazzin.lv:

RAPHAEL WRESSNIG Committed
ZYX Music

SPOTIFY 

Kaspars Zavileiskis: 

"The Hammond B-3 has always been an unusual musical beast. Weighing around 200 kilograms and having its own history in jazz, blues, soul, R&B, Latin boogaloo. The new album by Austrian organist Raphael Wressnig combines all of these essences, pays tribute to the masters of the Hammond B-3 – Dr. Lonnie Smith, Jimmy McGriff and Jack McDuff, and throws a real party for fans of the unique sound of the organ. Together with Raphael Wressnig, on the album Committed we also hear the real cats – Austrian drummer Hans-Jürgen Bart and Italian guitarist Enrico Crivellaro. All three sound super tight together, but the leader on the album is still Wressnig, who once again demonstrates a fantastic organ control technique. He feels most free and dizzying in the rhythm of the boogaloo, as can be heard, for example, in the composition Shrimp Daddy. Raphael again sounds up-to-date while keeping that classic feel as well. A great album for the romance of early summer barbecue parties. Some slow burners are also included. Make it funky!"

Christof Thurnherr, Jazz’n’More:

SILENT EXPLOSION ORCHESTRA
Painting of an Exhibition
Jazzsick Records

YOUTUBE

Jacek Brun, www.jazz-fun.de:

IGOR OSYPOV Hyper Oz
Igor Osypov & XJAZZ! music

SPOTIFY
YOUTUBE

Jacek Brun:

"The first few minutes of the album leave no doubt: Hyper Oz is a work of great artistic depth and vision. This is not just a fusion of styles - Igor Osypov transcends musical boundaries to open up new sonic dimensions. An outstanding composer and virtuoso guitarist, Osypov is also a visionary who knows exactly what he wants to express and where he wants to go with his music. Surrounded by excellent instrumentalists and singers, he creates a powerful, emotionally complex world of sound that captivates and moves the listener."

Bega Villalobos, In&OutJazz:

NATANIEL EDELMAN TRÍO En vivo en Lisboa
Robalo Music

inandout-jazz.es
BANDCAMP

Bega Villalobos:

"Nataniel Edelman, piano, Michael Formanek, double bass and Michaël Attias, alto saxophone.

En Vivo en Lisboa, reflects the harmony that the three musicians have. It is an unaligned alignment because it does not have a specific cadence in which none of the voices overpowers the other."

Mike Flynn, Jazzwise: 

DONOVAN HAFFNER Alleviate
self-release

BANDCAMP

Krzysztof Komorek, Donos kulturalny: 

SCANDINAVIAN ART ENSEMBLE
WITH TOMASZ STAŃKO
The Copenhagen Session vol.1
April Records

donos.home.blog
BANDCAMP

Krzysztof Komorek:

"A legendary album - recordings shrouded in myth before they even saw the light of day. In 2016, following workshops at Vallekilde Højskole in Denmark, a recording session took place featuring Tomasz Stańko alongside rising talents from Scandinavia and Poland, representing [then] a new generation of artists. A decade later, this unique material has finally been released. Here, Stańko does not assume the role of an unquestioned leader. Instead, it’s a meeting of equals—Stańko himself often cedes the spotlight to his younger collaborators. For both sides, this encounter became a catalyst for exploring new possibilities, creating the unexpected, and pushing boundaries. The result is a perfect blend of Stańko’s signature lyricism, youthful energy, collective improvisation, and free-jazz explorations."

Jan Granlie, salt-peanuts.eu: 

KRISTIN SKAARE Transparency
Southbound Records

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Jan Granlie:

"Less is more as they call it in the art business. And this expression can be believed to have been used by the excellent pianist Kristin Skaare and her fellow musicians, Nils Økland (hardanger fiddle, violin, viola), Mats Eilertsen (double bass) and Rune Arnesen (drums, percussion), in the creation of this beautiful release. There may not be much "pure" jazz in the nine compositions, but that doesn't matter. This is wonderful music, from start to finish. And it has become a masterpiece of an album, which should send the quartet on tour to all of Europe's central and non-central jazz festivals and clubs, and the music should be played for all the crazy, so-called politicians who are about to destroy the world."

Christine Stephan, JAZZTHETIK:

SUNNA GUNNLAUGS Ástin, bjartsýnin og
andskotans blaðrið í fólkinu
Sunny Sky Records

BANDCAMP
galileomusic.de

Dick Hovenga, Written in Music:

DE LOOZE, BARON, ROBERTS & MORGAN
Live at Brussels Jazz Festival 2025
Challenge Records

YOUTUBE

Dick Hovenga:

"Interesting how a recording of a gig you attended makes such an impression again on CD. De Looze, Baron, Roberts & Morgan - Live at Brussels Jazz Festival 2025 is one of those. Pianist Bram De Looze was Artist in Residence at the last edition of Brussels Jazz Festival in Flagey last January and for one of his concerts he chose a distinguished American line-up with drummer Joey Barron, double bassist Thomas Morgan and cellist Hank Roberts. It turned out to be a benevolent concert.

What I wrote right after the concert: 'It became a concert like no other. A concert so wonderful in atmosphere and balance that you could hear a pin drop in the main hall. Magnificently and intensely played with four musicians at the top of their game. As if the freshness of the pieces was still fully there after two days of playing together. The great class of De Looze, as composer and pianist, flowed smoothly into that of the other musicians'."