Jazz

Hiromi’s Sonicwonder
Out There
Concord Jazz 7267043; LP: 7267044 (two discs)

Since bursting on the scene with Another Mind in 2003, Hiromi has sought accompanists to complement her astonishing technique and energy. In Sonicwonder, the current quartet first heard on 2023’s Sonicwonderland, the brilliant trumpeter Adam O’Farrill (son of Arturo, grandson of Chico) adds the sounds that even Hiromi couldn’t get from her keyboards, while bassist Hadrien Feraud and drummer Gene Coye lock together like a heartbeat. Not for the first time, Hiromi has built her album around a multi-part suite that repays listening all through, and though she kicks off this release with the very piece that opened that 2003 debut, the current ‘XYZ’ is bigger and freer. Arguably her best yet. SH

Sound Quality: 90%

Branford Marsalis Quartet
Belonging
Blue Note 7548659; LP: 7548661 (two discs)

Saxophonist/composer Branford Marsalis can look back on an illustrious and varied career, working with symphony orchestras as well as jazz greats, not to mention Sting and The Grateful Dead. Here he returns to 1974 and Keith Jarrett’s album with Jan Garbarek in what became the ‘Belonging Quartet’. Having covered ‘The Windup’ in 2019, Marsalis and his own long-established quartet have gone on to reinterpret the whole album. For example, in ‘Long As You Know You’re Living Yours’ (quoted by Steely Dan in ‘Gaucho’) Marsalis keeps the catchy, gospelly main theme but expands freely on the Spanish-tinged section. It’s a generous tribute and an enjoyable listen. SH

Sound Quality: 85%

Jim Mullen Quartet
For Heaven’s Sake
Stunt Records STUCD24012; LP: STULP24011

From the mid-1970s the Glasgow-born guitarist co-led the fusion band Morrissey-Mullen, its run only ended in 1988 by saxophonist Dick Morrissey’s failing health. Mullen’s led many groups since, but for this recording he teamed with Chicago organist Ben Paterson plus two Danes, drummer Kristian Leth and saxophonist Jan Harbeck, whose slip-sliding style echoes that of Paul Gonsalves. They create classic Hammond grooves, from ballads with a bounce like the title track to Jimmy McGriff’s 1960s riff blues ‘Kiko’. Mullen’s own helter-skelter bop tune ‘Medication’ is mellower here than on his 2003 Somewhere In The Hills album, but it’s still a high-speed delight. SH

Sound Quality: 85%

Tom Smith Big Band
A Year In The Life
Fey Moose Records FM001; LP: FM001LP (2 discs)

Composer, arranger and award-winning saxophonist Tom Smith was lead alto
in the National Youth Jazz Orchestra,
before moving on to the Patchwork Jazz Orchestra and to leading his own Gecko trio and the Queertet LGBTQI+ initiative. His compositions and arrangements are showcased here by his own 18-piece Big Band, a close-knit ensemble of leading London players – ‘the band has all my favourite people in it’, he says. From the zooming, crashing ‘Speedboat In Trouble’ to the terrifying ‘We’re Being Watched’, each flawlessly played piece conjures a place or tells a story. Captivating and innovative, this album is a breath of big-band fresh air. SH

Sound Quality: 80%