Europe Jazz Media Chart November 2025

Paweł Brodowski, Jazz Forum:

TOMASZ STAŃKO Polish Radio Sessions
1970-1991
Polskie Radio

YOUTUBE

Paweł Brodowski:

"A treasure island! Here comes a box with never before released recordings of the great late trumpet player that were recently discovered in the vaults of Polish Radio where they had rested for decades.

A selection of 39 tracks with various lineups of top Polish jazz musicians were remastered and issued in a chronological sequence on 6 CDs spanning some 20 years – since the early ’70s until the early ’90s, prior to Tomasz Stańko’s return to the fold of ECM. 

So what do we find here? Some of the highlights – Krzysztof Komeda’s “Kattorna” as the symbolic opening tune of Disc 1 titled “Piece for Diana and Other Ballads” and featuring the Great Tomasz Stańko Quintet. The original “Placebo” on Disc 2 called “Unit” with Czesław Bartkowski on drums and Adam Makowicz on electric piano, resembling Joe Zawinul of Weather Report. 

Disc 3 “Castle of Mist” – a completely forgotten jam with Bartkowski and the saxophone giant Tomasz Szukalski (preceding his appearance on Stanko’s ECM debut “Balladyna”). Disc 4 “Almost Gama” is a mid-80s Freelectronic session full of otherworldy sounds and heart-breaking lyricism. Disc 5 “Rue de la Tour” – a 1991 trumpet and bass duo with Witold (Szczu)Rek, who has since emigrated to Germany. Disc 6 “Jazz Rock Company Live At Akwarium” is surprisingly not a studio date but a sizzling jam session in a Warsaw jazz club from… 1983.  

Kudos to the album’s editor, Adam Domagała from Polish Radio Music Agency. Each CD is on avarege 30-40 minutes long. The box contains a 48-page booklet with Polish and English annotations, musicians’ comments, quotes, photos, and scores. The official release date is November 17, 2025. The box will be also released on vinyl and available on streaming platforms. A must."

Krzysztof Komorek, Donos kulturalny:

KENNY BARRON Songbook
Artwork Records

kennybarron.com

Krzysztof Komorek:

"There are albums that you know from the very beginning will be an extraordinary event. Kenny Barron's latest album is the most obvious example of this. The pianist-composer invites vocalists to sing his own songs. Such a project might seem ordinary. However, the devil is in the details, and in this case, the detail are the Artists themselves. The pianist-composer is Kenny Barron, an undeniable legend of jazz piano. Laureled with honors and awards, he is a recipient of the NEA Jazz Master title and has fourteen Grammy nominations, among other accolades.To interpret his compositions, with lyrics by Janice Jarrett, Barron invited the crème de la crème of jazz vocalists: Cécile McLorin Salvant, Kurt Elling, Catherine Russell, Jean Baylor, Ann Hampton Callaway, and a trio of rising stars: Kavita Shah, Ekep Nkwelle, and Tyreek McDole. The artists are accompanied by the pianist's steady trio (Kiyoshi Kitagawa, Johnathan Blake). Thirteen tracks, seventy minutes of music, and a true jazz feast. "Songbook" is a showcase of craft: Barron's as a composer and pianist, the trio's as an ensemble, and that of all the listed vocalists. A delightful, magnificent album. Pure mastery."

Jan Granlie, salt-peanuts.eu:

MATTIAS RISBERG MINING XL
Mining at Fasching … and Elsewhere
Kullen Reko

Jan Granlie:

"An expanded edition by pianist Mattias Risberg Mining, recorded on a mini-tour in Sweden in May 2024. The line-up this time is Sten Sandell (recitation, voice), Jennie Abrahamson (vocals), Mattias Risberg (piano, keyboards), Leo Svensson Sander (cello), Eva Lindal (violin), Josefin Runsteen (violin, viola, percussion), David Stackenäs (guitar), Susana Santos Silva (trumpet), Stina Hellberg Agback (harp), Fredrik Ljungkvist (reeds), Per Texas Johansson (reeds), Mats Äleklint (trombone), Kjell Nordeson (vibraphone), Mattias Ståhl (vibraphone), Dan Berglund (bass), Morgan Ågren (drums) – such a large band that it is extremely difficult for the bandleader to get anything but good music and a minus in the bank account. But musically this band surpasses most of what is made by larger jazz ensembles today."

Dick Hovenga, Written in Music:

JAKOB BRO & MIDORI TAKADA
あなたに出会うまで/Until I Met You
Loveland Music

writteninmusic.com

Dick Hovenga:

"What a fascinating musical connection Japanese musical all-rounder Midori Takada and Danish guitarist Jakob Bro have. They have been playing together for years in various projects, and with あなたに出会うまで/Until I Met You they are now making their debut as a duo.

The recordings that Bro and Takada made at Avaco Studio in Tokyo in October 2024 are truly exceptional. With Bro on acoustic guitar and Takada on percussion, piano, and marimba, a tranquil musical world is created. Takada's ambient background perfectly complements the open sound that Bro can coax from his guitar.

Their great pleasure in discovering new sounds and noises is the basis of their musical careers. And with that, the basis for their first collaborative album. Music that cannot be pigeonholed, but in which folk and traditional music are the ever-present links."

Viktor Bensusan, jazzdergisi.com:

GIOVANNI MIRABASSI TRIO
The NYC Sessions Vol.1
Jazz Eleven

https://www.jazzeleven.com/thenewyorksession

Viktor Bensusan:

"Finally a true mainstream album of standards. Jazz, as a music and a scene, seriously needs the Great American Songbook whether it is great or American or a book or not.  The Italian in Paris, pianist Giovanni Mirabassi, with his power(ful) trio carries the torch a few steps further. Bassist Gianluca Renzi, the Italian in NYC, the long time collaborator of Mirabassi ignites the trio's engine. And the Americans, veteran guitarist Peter Bernstein and avid drummer Colin Stranahan give full flavor to the tunes which can still bewitch, bother and bewilder many of us..."

Nuno Catarino, jazz.pt:

DEMIAN CABAUD Seiva
Timbuktu

BANDCAMP

Nuno Catarino:

"The double bassist Demian Cabaud has just released a new album, Seiva. In a bold move, this is a solo double bass recording, released by the label Timbuktu. An Argentinian who has been living in Portugal for over two decades, Cabaud has established himself as an unmissable figure — as an instrumentalist, composer, and improviser. The new record features 11 original tracks, among which we highlight the emotive “Plegaria para los niños palestinos” (played with the bow)."

Henning Bolte, freelance:

THOMAS MORGAN Around You Is A Forest
Loveland Music

open.substack.com
BANDCAMP
YOUTUBE

Henning Bolte:

"Thomas Morgan‘s first own album after long years prominent on the scene. It is a series of 9 duets where WOOD, an instrument designed by Morgan himself plays s major role. It shared characteristics with koto (Japan) gayageum (Korea) and cimbalon (Hungary).

I still remember the first time i saw Thomas Morgan playing. It was in May 2011 at Bimhuis in Amsterdam with Sylvie Courvoisier/Mark Feldman Quartet. Morgan had this typical hesitation moment before he would struck a tone on his bass. As if he had to extra ensure adequacy. He was one of the few young bassists that i never saw using electronics or applying extented techniques. When i asked him about that, he told me that still so much had to be explored at conventional level. After his time in groups of Sylvie Courvoisier I experienced him many times from close by in the becoming and development of the groups of Jakob Bro with Jon Christensen and Joey Baron. And of course i followed him in his collaboration with Masabumi Kikuchi and Paul Motian.

Thomas Morgan has written a truly fascinating biographical essay. It is an extraordinary document about mutual relationships of programming strategies and shaping of music which kept Morgan busy from his teens.

As far as i can see there are no published interviews with Morgan except the illuminative talk with Jørgen Leth in the documentary “Music For Black Pidgeons”. Morgan’s essay is filling that gap in an excellent way. So, take some time for reading. It’s a guest contribution on Ethan Iverson’s Substack.

Morgan plays on this album with Bill Frisell, Ambrose Akinmusire, Henry Threadgill,  mmanuel Wilkins, Craig Taborn, Dan Weiss, Gerald Cleaver, and in a collaboration with poet Gary Snyder."

Sebastian Scotney, UK Jazz News:

LAURA JURD Rites and Revelations
New Soil

BANDCAMP
Jon Turney’s review

Sebastian Scotney:

"Laura Jurd has moved her home westwards, moved to Fred Bolza's New Soil label, and has produced an album which Jon Turney describes as having "a folkish flavour" but with plenty of freedom, experimentation and cleverly used electronics. She  works mostly with trusted collaborators, but also has space for newcomers on accordion and viola. "A beguiling record"."

Lars Mossefinn, Dag og tid:

Gard Nilssen Acoustic Unity Great Intentions
Action Jazz

YOUTUBE

Patrik Sandberg, Orkesterjournalen:

JOHAN LINDSTRÖM SEPTETT Humankind
Moserobie

BANDCAMP

Cim Meyer, All That ...:

NOAH PREMINGER & KIM CASS Thunda
Dry Bridge Records

YOUTUBE

Cim Meyer:

"THUNDA is ten dense original duo pieces recorded in 2020 by a woodwind-player and a bassist that immediately blows me away. Preminger fully meets my high expectations, but the big surprise is the bassist, Kim Cass. His equilibristic and inventive handling of the big four-stringed lady alone deserves a place on this chart.

The telepathic interplay of the two New Yorkers is at once freely imaginative and closely entangled in virtuoso unison passages, where the themes transcend what seems possible in terms of intervals, speed, rhythm and harmonic structures.

THUNDA is yet another rewarding outcome of the COVID-19 lockdown. The recordings were made privately and, in several layers, so that, among other things, a broader palette with more woodwinds is achieved. Each track begins with an improvised idea. 

―Part of what makes creating the music for THUNDA so thrilling and adventurous is that there are no pre-determined forms, improvisational sections, rhythmic concepts, or sets of chord changes. Each song is constructed linearly while taking into account the mood and textures until we’ve decided that it’s done, Preminger explains in a press release. And Cass adds:

―THUNDA unleashes the best of both our playing with countless maelstroms of exposed lines that defy form, yet are strongly rooted in time and pitch."

Matthieu Jouan, citizenjazz.com:

CZAJKA & PUCHACZ Flapping
Self released

Matthieu Jouan:

"This duo provides an outlet for the musicians Kaja Draksler and Szymon Gąsiorek. The Slovenian pianist and the Polish drummer pursue their respective careers in jazz and improvised music, coming together in this project to explore electronic and synthetic music and experiment with two voices.

Featuring numerous instruments, including organs, keyboards, percussion, trumpet and vocals, this second album by Czajka & Puchacz is rich in timbres, colours and textures. On one track, they are joined by guitarist Stian Westerhus. The vocals are manipulated, including those of the drummer, who is omnipresent on the vocoder, reciting Dadaist texts.

The flapping is as surprising as it is endearing."

Axel Stinshoff, Jazz thing:

ELLIOTT SHARP’S TERRAPLANE LIvin’ Hear
Enja

Luca Vitali, Giornale della Musica:

ŠIROM  In the Wind of Night,
Hard-Fallen Incantations Whisper
Glitterbeat Records

BANDCAMP
YOUTUBE

Yves Tassin, JazzMania:

GLASS MUSEUM 4n4log City
Sdban

BANDCAMP 
YOUTUBE

Yves Tassin:

"Glass Museum is negotiating an important, if not daring, turn. We approve!"

Jos Demol, jazzhalo.be:

TOM VARNER A New Planet
Tom Varner Music

BANDCAMP

Jos Demol:

"Overall the album reaches for a new sound world and succeeds; it contrasts slow and fast music and juggles potent brass and guitar sounds. The free improvisation is often edgy but leaves plenty of space, and achieves a persuasive musical logic." (Stephen Godsall)

Kaspars Zavileiskis, jazzin.lv:

THE NECKS Disquiet
Northern Spy Records

BANDCAMP

Kaspars Zavileiskis:

"New year, new album from Australian cult trio The Necks. Considering the quality of this trio, there is absolutely no objection to celebrating every golden autumn with the brilliant and leisurely absorbing music of keyboardist Chris Abrahams, bassist Lloyd Swanton, and drummer Tony Buck. This time the band has released a 3-CD album that is more than three hours long. The numbering of the discs does not matter and they can each live their own life. Rapid Eye Movement has nothing to do with the band R.E.M., but it is most directly related to The Necks’ ability to lure the listener into their musical mantra and unknowingly turn a piece into a rather diverse trip. Ghost Net is more avant-garde groove and makes you sway along for more than an hour accompanied by the organ, the Wurlitzer piano, and bluesy metallic riffs. The third disc is a two-part story. It is introduced by the 26-minute single Causeway, which suddenly transforms from an ambient piece into a kind of free jazz flight, and then continues with the hauntingly warming Warm Running Light. Another masterpiece. Let’s wait and see what the band will offer next year – on their 40th anniversary. 40-disc album, anyone?"

Christof Thurnherr, Jazz’n'More:

LED BIB Hotel Pupik
Cuneiform Records

BANDCAMP

Jacek Brun, www.jazz-fun.de:

JUSSI REIJONEN sayr: salt | thirst
Unmusic

BANDCAMP
YOUTUBE

Jacek Brun:

"An intimate dialogue between human and instrument – that’s perhaps the most accurate way to describe this album. It’s a meeting in which both sides share something with one another, open up, exchange emotions, and arrive at a deeper mutual understanding.

Jussi Reijonen possesses an almost mystical connection with his instruments. You can feel how they inspire each other – how sound and silence, strings and breath, enter into a quiet dialogue. Within the resonances, overtones, and pauses, a music emerges that speaks of human experience – of inner movement, the flow of thought, and the search for harmony.

“sayr: salt | thirst” is an album of rare poetic strength. There are no spectacular effects here, no display of virtuosity – only a gently flowing sound poetry, born of spaciousness and silence. This music carries the spirit of Finland, infused with Mediterranean warmth and emotional depth. A contemplative journey through space and sensation – calm, sincere, and profoundly beautiful."

Bega Villalobos, In&OutJazzMagazine:

LUÍS VICENTE/ JOHN DIKEMAN/
WILLIAM PARKER/ HAMID DRAKE
No Kings!
JACC Records

BANDCAMP
Inandout-jazz.es

Bega Villalobos:

"The quartet composed of Luís Vicente, John Dikeman, William Parker, and Hamid Drake seeks to raise their voices in No Kings!, the album recorded live by Ron Ruiten on July 14, 2022, at The Bimhuis (Amsterdam) for JACC Records. It is a unique open-air composition in which the four musicians participate in a democratic symbiotic exchange, aiming to show how music finds its way in difficult times."

Mike Flynn, Jazzwise: 

VERNON REID Hoodoo Telemetry
Mascot Music

BANDCAMP
YOUTUBE