The Morning Star writes, “This is a record of many vistas and soundscapes, beautifully and movingly played, recorded defiantly in May 2020 in the very gut of the pandemic.”
Jazz Views: Albums of The Year
Will Glaser and Nigel Price take top honours.
REVIEW: Will Glaser / 'Climbing in Circles'
The Jazz Mann’s Ian Mann writes, “Glaser himself performs brilliantly throughout and is rightly credited as leader, but in truth this is genuinely a trio of equals. In the event of some degree of normality ever returning one suspects that this band would also represent a very intriguing and exciting live prospect.”
For the full review, please click on the image, above.
Three Ubuntu Artists Selected by jazzwise Magazine as Best Albums of 2021 (so far)
These outstanding albums were reviewed in the 2021 issues of Jazzwise and all were selected as Editor's Choice.
The new release from Japanese pianist Yoko Miwa has an appealing lockdown title. Who couldn’t do with a little joy right about now? And this 11-cut disc certainly delivers on its titular promise. The recording comes out of Miwa’s response to the pandemic, which, the Berklee professor explains, was to compose every day. Accordingly there are five new originals, paired with six covers. ‘The one emotion that unites all the songs is one of JOY,’ Miwa says, not at all misleadingly: there’s a splendid, irrepressible energy about these tracks... Robert Shore
This completes an unusual trilogy of releases, following Glaser’s duo albums with saxophonist Matthew Herd, then pianist Liam Noble on Climbing in Circles Part 1 and 2, whose near identical tracklists tried to tease out how players’ personalities impact material. The MO is loosened here, letting the combined trio relax into musical friendship, playing covers and originals. ‘Mood Indigo’ is dismantled for inspection, in a thankfully less extreme version of Douglas Gordon’s Hitchcock art installation deconstruction 24 Hour Psycho, as Noble slows and delays the melody, only to find it indestructible. Nick Hasted
Nigel Price (g), Tony Kofi (as), Vasilis Xenopoulos (ts), Ross Stanley (org), Joel Barford (d), Snowboy (perc), Callum Au (arr, tb), plus the Phonograph Effect Strings: Kay Stephen, Anna Brigham (vn), Elitsa Bogdanova (vla) and Chris Terepin (clo). Rec. 7-8 September, 30 September, 20 October 2020
As its title implies, this is Price looking afresh at compositions by his hero Wes Montgomery, and re-casting them in ways that he feels Wes might well have considered. Or welcomed. Add to that, Price’s decision to enlist Au to create discrete string arrangements for three of the 10 numbers and then to enlist Snowboy to splice in percussion effects, and you can see that this surpasses anything else that he has done up to now. Peter Vacher
REVIEW: Will Glaser / 'Climbing in Circles'
Jazz Journal’s Thomas Fletcher writes, “this album presents a trio made up of three equally talented performers.”
REVIEW: Will Glaser 'Climbing in Circles'
BBC Music writes, “forthright, gently knowing and sonicly detailed.” ★★★★
Will Glaser Hits Jazzed!
The platform takes a look at Glaser’s latest creation.
UK VIBE: WILL GLASER ‘CLIMBING IN CIRCLES’ CD (UBUNTU MUSIC)
Alan Musson writes, “I can say that this album has joyfulness, a sense of humour, cheekiness and fun pervading it along with an element of risk-taking. These are all the ingredients for a fine jazz album.” 4/5 for the outstanding release.
For the full review, please click on the image, above.
REVIEW: Will Glaser 'Climbing in Circles'
LJN’s John Turney writes, “leaving one wanting more remains excellent showbiz advice.”
For the full review, please click on the image, above.
REVIEW: Will Glaser - Climbing in Circles
Bebop Spoken Here’s Chris K writes, “The band clearly trust and enjoy each other’s company, and complement both rhythmically and harmonically, leaving space for seemingly casual virtuoso passages in a delightful variety of combinations and styles.”
For the full article, please click on the image, above.