To quote from the Karisma press release “The Swedish band Ritual entered the prog scene like a typhoon with their 1995 debut album. The Scandinavian scene was already strong with bands like Änglagård, Anekdoten, White Willow and Landberk, but Ritual came with a different approach. They are both highly accessible and melodic, and also very technical and symphonic. Tove Jansson’s Moomin universe inspired several songs on the album, but the music leans more toward folk, symphoni

Most recently alto saxophonist Angelika Niescer released an acclaimed album with cellist Tomeka Reid called “Beyond Dragons”. ‘Rejoice, Disrupt, Resist’ is a pretty good title for the full on 8-minute opener. ‘Poranek’ is essentially a short duet with flautist Nicole Mitchell and the pace nor raucousness of the drums (Mike Reed) doesn’t let up. There’s also a second saxophonist (alto and tenor – Dave Rempis) in ensuring the energy levels don’t flag. ‘SAMO bsqt; has an enigmat

The prolific Santtu Laakso AKA Astral Magic along with Jonathan Sigel on guitar and violin and Shane Beck’s spoken word/ poetry is back once again asking the question – are we being watched by alien beings? A big question and a legitimate one. The musical groove starts on ‘Wormhole’ with some nice guitar fills. ‘Vector Equilibrium’ is a swirl of synthesiser as Shane continues the narrative. ‘It’s all Just a Simulation’ is like a mirror image of ‘Wormhole’, and similarly intox

‘World in Greyscale’, the 30-minute title track, dark and deep music, is based on a simple repetitive and unwavering beat which is used as a backdrop to layers of synths to create a chilled atmosphere. ‘Sepia’ follows a similar pattern although I found it to be more melodic and less dense; Jerry Kranitz accurately describes the music as “electro hypnotic chill-out dance beats and floating space ambience, augmented by Alisa’s breathy vocals”. “Atomic Autumn”: No longer space r

“With their infectious, energetic and positively 'smile on the face' rhythms on stage, audiences have come accustomed to Buddhadatta's reverence for Buddhism via their attire and the topics of their songs, all inspired by practising, throat-singing Buddhist monk / band leader, Vogli Bonze. Bass player Seiko engages almost the entirety of the audience with constant eye contact as she swathes her samurai bass - Nick Cave would be envious of how she connects. Then she steps up t

“Led by electric jazz harpist and composer Maria-Christina Harper , the collection features original tracks inspired by her Greek and Egyptian musical heritage. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, ‘ Dialogue of Thoughts’ reaffirms the trio’s boundary pushing and distinctive sound—spiritually charged, shimmering soundscapes and experimental tones that reimagine the harp’s place in jazz. Rather than placing the harp centre stage, Harper prioritises vivid musical conversation. Along

Released on 28 th  November, we are promised restless rhythms, mesmerizing bass lines, twangy guitars and spacious synths from the Bergen-based synth wizard Marius Robech. ‘Unknown Overture’ has an eastern filmic feel to it and the synthesisers recall the works of John Michel Jarre and Vangelis. When the guitar comes in it could be Mike Oldfield you are listening to. ‘The Apanthropist’ is percussion and piano based and equally panoramic, ending in a synthesised loop. ‘Latibul

Malibran are Giuseppe Scaravilli - vocals, electric and acoustic guitar, flute, bass and keyboards; Giancarlo Cutuli - flute and saxophone; Jerry Litrico - electric lead guitar; Alessio Scaravilli - drums and percussion; Benny Torrisi - piano and keyboards and Angelo Messina - electric bass. Two tracks from each of their albums apart from a single excerpt from their first album “The Wood of Tales” (1990), a vinyl release are included on this compilation. ‘Trasparenze’ apparen

Malibran are Giuseppe Scaravilli - vocals, electric and acoustic guitar, flute, bass and keyboards; Giancarlo Cutuli - flute and saxophone; Jerry Litrico - electric lead guitar; Alessio Scaravilli - drums and percussion; Benny Torrisi - piano and keyboards and Angelo Messina - electric bass. Two tracks from each of their albums apart from a single excerpt from their first album “The Wood of Tales” (1990), a vinyl release are included on this compilation. ‘Trasparenze’ apparen

As part of my nostalgic look back Sherpa comes recommended. They hail from Italy and their album ‘Tanzlinde’ is also on Sulatron Records on CD and limited LP (the latter probably sold out). It is described in the press release as the sort of album I would like “translucent sounding, becoming better and more intense with each listen.” ‘Thematically ‘tanzlinde’ is literally a linden tree under which one sits to connect to one’s deepest feelings. Musically, there are “influences

A blast from the past: I’m listening again to ‘Hypnotiser’ . Right away the palpable spacey groove hauls you in for a ‘Lift Off ’ . The title track continues the journey: “Let’s have a look at the Earth- Professor, what do you see?”, a lethargic, hypnotic listen. The line-up is Sergio Ceballos on guitar and voice, Sula Bassana on bass and Pablo Carneval on drums, all original pieces of around 10 minutes in length except for ‘Kosmos Amigos’  which is instantly recognisable as

Gracious! supported The Who on tour in 1968. Touring with King Crimson prompted them to purchase a mellotron and change to a more progressive style. Their prospects were not boosted by the plain white ‘wallpaper’ image on their Vertigo debut in 1970 and their second album ‘This is Gracious!’ is often the more highly acclaimed of the two due to its variation in style incorporating rock, blues alongside symphonic prog as well as the interplay between the mellotron and electric

More hypnotic sounds from Astral Magic led by Santtu Laakso who wrote, produced, played and sang on his latest album. I particularly liked the eastern vibes of ‘The Veil of Isis’ with Fred Laird guesting on electric guitar and bouzouki and ‘Mirror Universe’ with guest Pete Bingham of Sendelica on electric guitar. ‘The Shining Ice’ features Luís Simões’ sitar, tampura, tabla and gong – the eastern vibes again. The synth exchanges on ‘Ghostly Apparitions’ are haunting (as you’d

Jazz lovers will find something special here on an album of originals (I think) and reworkings of jazz standards. There’s a swinging take on ‘Mack the Knife’ and the Hammond organ/ alto sax/ drums trio also bring a fresh originality to ‘Secret Love’. A revved up ‘The Autumn Leaves; also shows the band are not prepared to rest on their laurels as they bring a new vibrancy to a much-played piece. Then there’s a piece called ‘Facing the Waves’, an atmospheric, haunting creation

It’s hard to believe this album is 50 years old. Its core is in two parts bookending the album. It’s entitled ‘Shine on You Crazy Diamond’ in tribute to founder member Syd Barrett. On part one Dave Gilmour re-establishes himself as an incisive and inventive guitarist while part two veers into jazz funk territory – well, Nick Mason did call the album “the descendent of “Meddle”. The title track has become a busker’s standard. Apart from that are two songs which take a dig at t

“The third and final volume in the 'Before the End' series; a collection of non-album tracks and assorted songs brought together from the years 2022 to 2025. Like the previous instalments, everything here has been carefully remastered and sequenced to work as a cohesive album in its own right.” ‘Just Another Goodbye’ begins the album with “a touch of fusion”. The vignette ‘Project B’ sounds unfinished, electronic in style along with the more substantial ‘Project A’. All instr

Freedom Suite (1958): This near twenty-minute long number is an improvised jazz-blues was the first extended instrumental piece of protest music. Typical of the idiom in which it was written it uses a basic line-up of sax, bass ( Oscar Pettiford ) and drums ( Max Roach ) to use a melody (as well as a few straight forward lyrics) and turn it inside out in a series of variations, developing an ambience that strikes the emotion as well as the intellect. Emily Bonnell, writing f

“Underground Sounds of 1968” has an eclectic mix of music during a very creative period; some will be familiar, others not. CD one has big hits like ‘Fire’, ‘This Wheel’s on Fire’ and ‘I’m the Urban Spaceman’ rubbing shoulders with an obscure Genesis track (‘One Eyed Hound’) and nearly made it bands like Dantalian’s Chariot (‘World War Three’ and ‘Soma (Parts One and Two)’, Eyes of Blue and Tomorrow. Of course, the musicians from many of these bands went on to greater things.

The moment the "flowing" 7/8 phrase at the beginning of this piece came to Kenichi Morimoto, he felt confident it would become a strong composition. From there, the rest of the music unfolded almost unconsciously, with little deliberate effort involved in the writing process. The result was a beautiful piece that didn’t quite resemble anything in his usual musical vocabulary. The contrast between its "flowing" beginning and its unexpectedly "cunning" nature is what gave rise

TWELVE WAYS TO SPOT BEBOP JAZZ Ø  Small groups: drums, bass, horns, pianos with equal roles.   Ø  More complex than swing jazz with several rhythms possibly going on at the same time.   Ø  A faster and more frenetic pace.   Ø  Improvisation and jamming.   Ø  Democratic: skilful interplay, highlighting an individual’s virtuosity.   Ø  Not intended as dance music.   Ø  Most likely originating in New York.   Ø  Associated with a policy breaching segregation barriers i.e. mixed r