Fred Grand
@fbgrand.bsky.social
Jazz journalist, armchair cycling fan, and still very European 🇪🇺 https://africpepperbird.wordpress.com
Pinned
Fred Grand
@fbgrand.bsky.social
· Nov 16
close enough for jazz
an archive of reviews (1999-2018)
africpepperbird.wordpress.com
For my own amusement, and possibly yours too, I've just launched a website where I'll be posting some of my oldest reviews: africpepperbird.wordpress.com
Review of a superb collaboration between Samuel Leipold and Martin Perret, due out on Friday 7th November: ukjazznews.com/samuel-leipo...
Samuel Leipold & Martin Perret – ‘Barene’ - UK Jazz News
While some albums are recorded in a single take, or more usually over two or three intense days in the studio, the eight meticulously detailed pieces of ‘Barene’ took rather longer to complete. The al...
ukjazznews.com
November 3, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Review of a superb collaboration between Samuel Leipold and Martin Perret, due out on Friday 7th November: ukjazznews.com/samuel-leipo...
Reposted by Fred Grand
Jack DeJohnette, just one of the deepest musicians ever, and a personal hero. Here is my obituary for NPR Music.
Jack DeJohnette, dynamic and instantly recognizable jazz drummer, dies at 83
Jack DeJohnette, of the most daring and singular jazz drummers of the last 60 years, died on Sunday.
www.npr.org
October 27, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Jack DeJohnette, just one of the deepest musicians ever, and a personal hero. Here is my obituary for NPR Music.
I still find this record intriguing after living with it for almost a decade. One of Nils Økland’s finest.
October 26, 2025 at 8:41 PM
I still find this record intriguing after living with it for almost a decade. One of Nils Økland’s finest.
My October round-up for Jazz Journal includes Robin Holcomb & Peggy Lee, Pandelis Karayorgis and Christian Wallumrød : jazzjournal.co.uk/2025/10/20/r...
Reviewed: Robin Holcomb & Peggy Lee | Pandelis Karayorgis with Noah Campbell & Brittany Karlson | Christian Wallumrød - Jazz Journal
Robin Holcomb & Peggy Lee: Reno (Songlines SGL1637-2) I remember buying a copy of singer-pianist Robin Holcomb’s 1989 debut Larks, They Crazy shortly after its release. I was drawn to it as much by Ma...
jazzjournal.co.uk
October 20, 2025 at 7:47 PM
My October round-up for Jazz Journal includes Robin Holcomb & Peggy Lee, Pandelis Karayorgis and Christian Wallumrød : jazzjournal.co.uk/2025/10/20/r...
Stunning new Coltrane-ish release by saxophonist John O’Gallgher, out on Friday 24th: ukjazznews.com/john-ogallag...
John O’Gallagher – ‘Ancestral’ - UK Jazz News
UK readers will probably remember alto saxophonist and educator John O’Gallagher from his years - from 2018 until 2021 - as Senior Lecturer at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. During that period he...
ukjazznews.com
October 20, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Stunning new Coltrane-ish release by saxophonist John O’Gallgher, out on Friday 24th: ukjazznews.com/john-ogallag...
Yet more good sense from the ever dependable John Harris: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The best gig I ever saw cost £4. Spiralling concert prices are a cultural disaster | John Harris
Tickets for big tours have vastly outstripped inflation, while smaller artists and venues struggle. The magic is in danger of being snuffed out entirely, says Guardian columnist John Harris
www.theguardian.com
October 8, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Yet more good sense from the ever dependable John Harris: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Really loving this new album from Petter Eldh: ukjazznews.com/petter-eldh-...
Petter Eldh – ‘Projekt Drums Vol. 2’ - UK Jazz News
If Swedish bassist and producer Petter Eldh were known only for his work as an instrumentalist I suspect he’d still be widely regarded as a contemporary colossus. Over the last decade and some he has ...
ukjazznews.com
October 6, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Really loving this new album from Petter Eldh: ukjazznews.com/petter-eldh-...
Reposted by Fred Grand
My new album Unseen Topographies is out now! 🙂 Hope you’ll get a chance to check it out. I created this music over the summer and I’m really pleased with how it turned out.
Bandcamp: opticalsubstanceproductions.bandcamp.com/album/unseen...
Photo: Jo Michael de Figueiredo.
Bandcamp: opticalsubstanceproductions.bandcamp.com/album/unseen...
Photo: Jo Michael de Figueiredo.
October 4, 2025 at 10:13 AM
My new album Unseen Topographies is out now! 🙂 Hope you’ll get a chance to check it out. I created this music over the summer and I’m really pleased with how it turned out.
Bandcamp: opticalsubstanceproductions.bandcamp.com/album/unseen...
Photo: Jo Michael de Figueiredo.
Bandcamp: opticalsubstanceproductions.bandcamp.com/album/unseen...
Photo: Jo Michael de Figueiredo.
September’s round-up includes new releases from Gard Nilssen, Benedicte Maurseth and Morten Haxholm: jazzjournal.co.uk/2025/10/03/r...
Reviewed: Morten Haxholm | Benedicte Maurseth | Gard Nilssen Acoustic Unity - Jazz Journal
If you were to listen to these three contrasting albums back-to-back you’d soon realise that the commonly voiced stereotypes about Scandinavian jazz are deeply flawed. Illustrating the great breadth o...
jazzjournal.co.uk
October 3, 2025 at 5:53 PM
September’s round-up includes new releases from Gard Nilssen, Benedicte Maurseth and Morten Haxholm: jazzjournal.co.uk/2025/10/03/r...
This month’s round-up includes Andreas Haddeland, Simon Jermyn, Johan Lindvall and Web Web: jazzjournal.co.uk/2025/08/25/r...
Reviewed: Andreas Haddeland Trio | Simon Jermyn | Johan Lindvall | Web Web - Jazz Journal
Andreas Haddeland Trio: Estuar (Tare Records TARE04CD) Much like the churning waters of the album’s title, Norwegian guitarist Andreas Haddeland’s music is a confluence of disparate currents. His expr...
jazzjournal.co.uk
August 27, 2025 at 11:46 AM
This month’s round-up includes Andreas Haddeland, Simon Jermyn, Johan Lindvall and Web Web: jazzjournal.co.uk/2025/08/25/r...
Enjoyed reviewing this one: ukjazznews.com/ingebrigt-ha...
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten’s (Exit) Knarr – ‘Drops’ - UK Jazz News
Reflecting on AJ Dehany’s recent observations about the long-reach of Pierre Boulez as an influence on non-idiomatic improvised music (link to review), I think a similar case can be made for the pione...
ukjazznews.com
August 18, 2025 at 6:13 AM
Enjoyed reviewing this one: ukjazznews.com/ingebrigt-ha...
We’re approaching 30 years since the notorious performance of Harrison Birtwistle’s Panic at the Last Night of the Proms. It made a big impression on me at the time, and this piece by Tom Service captures it well: www.theguardian.com/music/2007/a...
Panic at the Proms
Tom Service on a night of outrage at the Royal Albert Hall.
www.theguardian.com
July 25, 2025 at 6:29 PM
We’re approaching 30 years since the notorious performance of Harrison Birtwistle’s Panic at the Last Night of the Proms. It made a big impression on me at the time, and this piece by Tom Service captures it well: www.theguardian.com/music/2007/a...
Went to my first Jazz Prom last night, and it was pretty good too: ukjazznews.com/bbc-proms-ro...
BBC Proms – ‘Round Midnight’ with Soweto Kinch, Theo Croker… - UK Jazz News
True to the founding mission of Robert Newman and Henry Wood in 1895, the annual Proms season continues to bring serious music to the masses at an affordable price. In recent years the series has incr...
ukjazznews.com
July 25, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Went to my first Jazz Prom last night, and it was pretty good too: ukjazznews.com/bbc-proms-ro...
July roundup includes Beiggja, Jay Davis, Goran Kajfeš and Andreas Tilliander and Geir Sundstøl: jazzjournal.co.uk/2025/07/07/r...
Reviewed: Beiggja | Jay Davis | Goran Kajfeš and Andreas Tilliander | Geir Sundstøl - Jazz Journal
Beiggja: Morning (Hubro CD2671) Although not it’s intended as a site-specific work, I can’t help thinking that the music on this debut album by Dutch-Norwegian quartet Beiggja has been profoundly insp...
jazzjournal.co.uk
July 7, 2025 at 6:26 PM
July roundup includes Beiggja, Jay Davis, Goran Kajfeš and Andreas Tilliander and Geir Sundstøl: jazzjournal.co.uk/2025/07/07/r...
Wolfgang Haffner's latest live extravaganza: ukjazznews.com/wolfgang-haf...
Wolfgang Haffner – ‘Life Rhythm Live’ - UK Jazz News
It’s often said that Siggi Loch - and his successor Andreas Brandis - regard the roster of their ACT Music label as an extended family, and the number of artists recording primarily or exclusively for...
ukjazznews.com
June 9, 2025 at 6:54 AM
Wolfgang Haffner's latest live extravaganza: ukjazznews.com/wolfgang-haf...
June round-up includes Anders Filipsen Trio, Ronny Graupe and Phil Haynes: jazzjournal.co.uk/2025/06/06/r...
Reviewed: Anders Filipsen Trio | Ronny Graupe's Szelest | Phil Haynes | Phil Haynes & Ben Monder - Jazz Journal
Anders Filipsen Trio (AFT): Aldebar Nights Of Mangos (ILK368CD) All four of the albums in this month’s round-up speak of the way in which the powerful forces of personality, intellect and innovation a...
jazzjournal.co.uk
June 6, 2025 at 6:05 PM
June round-up includes Anders Filipsen Trio, Ronny Graupe and Phil Haynes: jazzjournal.co.uk/2025/06/06/r...
Almost certainly ECM’s best new release of the year: ukjazznews.com/arve-henriks...
Arve Henriksen, Trygve Seim, Anders Jormin, Markku Ounaskari – ‘Arcanum’ - UK Jazz News
Discovering the joys of trio improvisation during pre-show sound-checks while touring with Sinikka Langeland, Trygve Seim (tenor & soprano saxophones), Anders Jormin (bass) and Markku Ounaskari (drums...
ukjazznews.com
June 2, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Almost certainly ECM’s best new release of the year: ukjazznews.com/arve-henriks...
Interesting new release from an artist worthy of your discovery: ukjazznews.com/naissam-jala...
Naïssam Jalal – ‘Souffles’ - UK Jazz News
I first encountered French-Syrian flautist and composer Naïssam Jalal via her 2023 album Healing Rituals, a heady mélange of Arabic and chamber jazz influences with a smattering of syncopated hip-hop ...
ukjazznews.com
June 2, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Interesting new release from an artist worthy of your discovery: ukjazznews.com/naissam-jala...
May's round-up includes Kjetil Husebø, Kali Trio, Egil Kalman & Hans Hulbækmo, Adam O’Farrill and Alex Zethson & Johan Jutterström: jazzjournal.co.uk/2025/05/24/r...
Reviewed: Kjetil Husebø | Kali Trio | Egil Kalman & Hans Hulbækmo | Adam O’Farrill | Alex Zethson & Johan Jutterström - Jazz Journal
Kjetil Husebø: Piano Transformed – Interspace (Optical Substance Productions OSP010) My reviews of Kjetil Husebø’s recent ambient jazz projects have spoken of the Norwegian pianist-composer’s solid gr...
jazzjournal.co.uk
May 24, 2025 at 11:55 AM
May's round-up includes Kjetil Husebø, Kali Trio, Egil Kalman & Hans Hulbækmo, Adam O’Farrill and Alex Zethson & Johan Jutterström: jazzjournal.co.uk/2025/05/24/r...
Another enjoyable trip to the Glasshouse last night to hear Bill Laurance’s new trio: africpepperbird.wordpress.com/2025/05/12/g...
Glasshouse @ 20 | BILL LAURANCE TRIO
Returning to the banks of the Tyne to Gateshead’s Glasshouse International Music Centre for a second time in as many weeks, as I saw the posters for the venue’s 20th Anniversary I could…
africpepperbird.wordpress.com
May 12, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Another enjoyable trip to the Glasshouse last night to hear Bill Laurance’s new trio: africpepperbird.wordpress.com/2025/05/12/g...
Review of Michael Sarian’s all-electric quartet at UK Jazz News: ukjazznews.com/michael-sari...
Michael Sarian – ‘ESQUINA’ - UK Jazz News
Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Dave Douglas's artist-led Greenleaf Music has been both a dependable outlet for his own work and a platform for such emerging artists as Kneebody, Matt Uler...
ukjazznews.com
May 6, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Review of Michael Sarian’s all-electric quartet at UK Jazz News: ukjazznews.com/michael-sari...
Nice to see the Neil Cowley Trio again last night, and here’s Frank Graham’s review: ukjazznews.com/neil-cowley-...
Neil Cowley Trio in Gateshead - UK Jazz News
Prior to this evening’s show, my last encounter with the Neil Cowley Trio had been here, at the 2017 Gateshead International Jazz Festival. A very Janus-like performance, the first set was a track-by-...
ukjazznews.com
April 27, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Nice to see the Neil Cowley Trio again last night, and here’s Frank Graham’s review: ukjazznews.com/neil-cowley-...
April’s round-up includes new albums from Echt!, lightbox + Tom Challenger, Jo David Meyer Lysne, Nicolas Masson and Ingi Bjarni Skúlason: jazzjournal.co.uk/2025/04/26/r...
Reviewed: ECHT! | light.box + Tom Challenger | Jo David Meyer Lysne | Nicolas Masson | Ingi Bjarni Skúlason - Jazz Journal
ECHT!: Boilerism (SDBAN Ultra SDBANULP42) In recent times I’ve written extensively on the new Scandinavian ambient-jazz, a free-floating music which for the most part incorporates electronics and sign...
jazzjournal.co.uk
April 26, 2025 at 1:26 PM
April’s round-up includes new albums from Echt!, lightbox + Tom Challenger, Jo David Meyer Lysne, Nicolas Masson and Ingi Bjarni Skúlason: jazzjournal.co.uk/2025/04/26/r...
My March review round-up includes Krokofant, Verneri Pohjola, Benjamin Boone and Pre.pared: jazzjournal.co.uk/2025/03/05/r...
Reviewed: Benjamin Boone | Krokofant | Prepared | Tuomo & Markus with Verneri Pohjola - Jazz Journal
Benjamin Boone: Confluence – The Ireland Sessions (Origin Records 82904) American saxophonist, composer and educator Benjamin Boone is a virtuoso performer equally at home in the worlds of jazz and co...
jazzjournal.co.uk
March 5, 2025 at 7:07 PM
My March review round-up includes Krokofant, Verneri Pohjola, Benjamin Boone and Pre.pared: jazzjournal.co.uk/2025/03/05/r...