Europe Jazz Media Chart - September 2025

Did you miss a vocalist with a sound rhythm section? This album may be a sound remedy. As duo, quartet as well as a Mahlerian orchestra and with maestro Alan Broadbent, Georgia will again be on your mind...

This is a band of four outstanding improvising musicians: Olie Brice (bass), Rachel Musson (tenor sax), Alexander Hawkins (piano) and Will Glaser (drums). What’s impressive about this album is the way it manages to balance the composed with the improvised. Brice’s compositions all carry dedications, including one reflecting the grief and pain of losing his father, Tosh Brice, and fused with the horror and despair at the genocide in Gaza. So the music is emotional, but also life-affirming. This is a band of fine individuals, each with a distinctive voice, but brought together by Brice’s compositions to create an excellent album.

Norwegian trumpeter and composer Nils Petter Molvær, clearly inspired by both Miles Davis and Jon Hassel, is undoubtedly one of the most prominent names in the electro-acoustic, improvised, composed musical hybrid that has become a genre of its own since the 1990s. A style-builder in jazztronica, or Nu-jazz as it has also been called, Molvær is both a pioneer and a veteran.KhmerLive in Bergen is a live version of his iconic 1997 album Khmer (ECM) The album contains a modernized and energetic interpretation of the original. Released on Edition Records.

Even though the harmonica has a rich history, it is not the most common instrument in jazz, and its sharp sound is not the easiest to master. In this new album, Ariel Bart showcases her mastery and inventiveness. Accompanied by piano and cello, she composes music that is just as melodic and evocative as her previous work, though not always as simple as it seems. Currently based in Berlin, Bart continues to produce music that blends nostalgic lyricism with a modern, forward-thinking sound. It's always interesting to follow artists who bridge the gap between aesthetics.

Throughout the album, Pauline Leblond, thanks to subtle and balanced arrangements, avoids the trap of stylistic rehash, and offers us a beautiful moment of musical pleasure that is at once original, timeless, and beyond the conventions of a genre that is somewhat neglected today, which is a shame. (Jean-Pierre Goffin)

American pianist Paul Cornish has created a great original music recording, which is a brilliant debut on the legendary Blue Note. Together with bassist Joshua Crumbly and drummer Jonathan Pinson a convincing combo album has been created, in which both respect for history and a modern sound coexist. The main role here is played by Cornish’s own abilities as a composer and pianist, which allows to hope for even more peaks in the future. One of the peaks of the recently released album is the gently flowing composition Palindrome, in which a significant place is given to the sounds of the guitar. They are played by the special guest Jeff Parker. The close interplay of the trio itself can be enjoyed from the very start – in the opening DB Song. Delicious and I’m not even exaggerating!

Hyperglyph is a musical journey into the unknown. The music not only surprises us, it captivates us from the very first bars. Boredom? Not a chance—every note fits into an exciting, sometimes unexpected web of melodies that emerge from energetic improvisations. The rhythm not only serves as a foundation here, but is also a central means of creating moods. Chad Taylor not only shapes the groove, but also has a decisive influence on the melodic expression. And it is never entirely clear where rhythm becomes melody and where the sound of Rob Mazurek's trumpet or one of the other instruments comes in – a fascinating interplay of timbres and textures. This album is surprising, captivating, and extremely exciting. It demands active listening and rewards it with an extraordinary listening experience—a work that draws the listener deep into its complex, improvisational worlds.

Marcin Hałat (violin) and Maciej Garbowski (bass), have known each other for a long time, having first started to explore the intricacies of jazz and improvisation together as students.  Now they created "A conversation with a friend you understand with a word",  as Maciej Garbowski aptly and beautifully described it in the album liner notes. This is an exchange of thoughts, memories, experiences, discoveries. Both musicians draw on improvisation while also embracing stylistic inspirations from their artistic journeys—folk, classical, contemporary, and chamber music. And repeated listening reveals new layers and details contained in ‘Dialogues’. The tracks on The Dialogues really do resemble conversations between friends. They are remarkably natural, emotionally diverse, but never go beyond the boundaries of dialogue, avoiding musical clashes or competition. These conversations can be slightly languid, melancholic, sublime, but also full of passion and energy. This is sophisticated music, yet played with effortless ease. Simply outstanding.