A Global Journey Through Sound (supporting my 1st April 2025 Jazz Mix)

Welcome to Jazz Matters — where the groove is global, the vibes are deep, and the music always tells a story.

This week, I’ve put together a playlist that reflects the kind of musical adventure I love: one that stretches across borders, blends cultures, and dips into different emotional and sonic textures. It’s a journey that moves from Russian jazz clubs to New York lofts, from Parisian basements to wide-open Scandinavian soundscapes. It’s a journey that brings me joy — and I hope it does the same for you.

I open this week’s playlist with an unexpected treasure from Russia: "Case" by the Ilugdin Trio. This track caught me completely off guard. It starts with a kind of elegance that immediately made me sit up and take notice. Dmitry Ilugdin, alongside Victor Shestak on bass and Petr Ivishin on drums, crafts a sound that’s both lush and understated. There’s a lyricism in their playing that feels rooted in classical training, but there’s also a rhythmic confidence and spontaneity that is unmistakably jazz. It reminded me how much depth and brilliance can come from places that aren’t always spotlighted in the mainstream jazz conversation. A real find — and a perfect opener.

From there, I lean into something a little more familiar, at least to me, with the incomparable Patricia Barber. Her song "This Town" is cool, cerebral, and slyly seductive. Barber has always been one of my favourite female voices in jazz, not just for the sound of her voice, but for the intelligence and craft behind every phrase. There’s always something simmering beneath the surface — a poetic tension, a noir-like atmosphere. Every time I listen to her, it feels like stepping into a late-night scene lit by candlelight and neon. She doesn’t just sing a song; she inhabits it.

The next piece takes things in a new direction, both in tone and in personnel. "M.A. Style" is a lively and fearless collaboration between Clélya Abraham, Samuel F’hima, Tilo Bertholo, and Antonin Fresson. The energy here is contagious. These musicians are clearly listening to one another, responding in real time, and building something that feels alive and kinetic. There’s a youthfulness to their sound — not in the sense of inexperience, but in their willingness to explore, to push, to blend genre lines. It’s the kind of track that makes me excited about the future of jazz.

Then comes a track that feels almost spiritual in its groove — "Azawala" by Sean Khan, featuring legendary saxophonist Peter King and the radiant vocals of Heidi Vogel. There’s something deeply hypnotic about this one. The rhythm is insistent but never overwhelming, the horns glide in and out like smoke, and Vogel’s voice floats above it all with effortless grace. Peter King, a true master, plays with that blend of wisdom and fire that only comes from a lifetime in jazz. This track is a beautiful fusion of worlds — Latin, spiritual jazz, UK jazz — all swirling together.

Next, I found myself swept up in a Nordic dream with "Vintermørke" by the Espen Berg Trio, featuring the haunting trumpet of Mathias Eick. There’s something uniquely Scandinavian about this piece — the space, the melancholy, the delicate interplay between piano and horn. It feels cinematic, like the soundtrack to a winter’s dusk, with snow falling softly outside the window. Espen Berg’s touch on the piano is exquisite, full of restraint and subtlety, and Eick’s trumpet lines are like sighs — beautiful, distant, aching. This is the kind of jazz that makes time slow down.

As I moved deeper into the playlist, I wanted to shift gears a bit — so I turned to "El Momento" by Sly5thAve and Roberto Verastegui. This track bends genre in a way that’s playful and brilliant. It’s got jazz at its core, but it’s infused with funk, soul, and electronic textures that give it a modern, borderless feel. It reminds me of how jazz has always been a living, breathing thing — constantly absorbing, transforming, reimagining. The groove is tight, the production is slick, and the playing is top-notch. It’s a vibe, pure and simple.

From there, things take a dreamy detour with "Futbol" by Rahill. This one feels like a faded photograph — warm, nostalgic, a little surreal. There’s a softness to the arrangement, a lo-fi charm that draws you in. Rahill’s vocals are like a whisper in your ear, and the instrumentation floats around her like smoke rings. It’s not jazz in the traditional sense, but it shares that same openness, that sense of storytelling through mood and texture. It was the perfect moment of calm before heading into the emotional heart of the playlist.

And that heart, for me, is "Eberhard" by Lyle Mays. This piece is a tribute — and not just in name. It feels like a love letter to the possibilities of sound, a summation of everything Lyle Mays stood for as a musician. For those who, like me, hold the Pat Metheny Group close to the heart, this track is a bittersweet reminder of Mays' genius. His work has always had this vast, orchestral quality — complex, emotive, deeply human. "Eberhard" builds slowly, with patience and grace, unfolding like a landscape seen from above. Every section reveals a new layer, a new perspective. It’s one of the most beautiful pieces I’ve heard in a long time.

To close things out, I wanted something a little off-kilter — something to leave your ears buzzing. That came in the form of "Japanese Experiment" by Drift Lab. This track is a playful, abstract, and adventurous dive into experimental jazz. It sounds like it was created in a laboratory of groove, where strange ideas and bold textures are mixed freely. It’s unpredictable in the best way — full of switch-ups, left turns, and curious sounds that somehow hold together. It's jazz as inquiry, as exploration, as fearless noise-making. A perfect final note.

This week’s playlist, for me, is about connection — not just between styles or countries, but between feelings. There’s joy and melancholy, groove and stillness, structure and freedom. Each track offers something different, but they all share a sense of honesty. None of this music is trying to be anything other than what it is — and that’s the magic of it.

Whether you're listening at home, on a long walk, in your car, or with headphones tucked into a quiet café corner, I hope this selection of sounds brings you as much wonder as it brought me. Music like this reminds me why jazz matters — why it always will.

Thanks for listening, and for letting this music into your space.Much love,Jazz Matters

My Playlist

•     Ilugdin Trio (Dmitry Ilugdin, Victor Shestak, Petr Ivishin) – Case

•     Patricia Barber – This Town

•     Clélya Abraham, Samuel F’hima, Tilo Bertholo, Antonin Fresson – M.A. Style

•     Sean Khan, Peter King, Heidi Vogel – Azawala

•     Espen Berg Trio (feat. Mathias Eick) – Vintermørke

•     Sly5thAve & Roberto Verastegui – El Momento

•     Rahill – Futbol

•     Lyle Mays – Eberhard

•     Drift Lab – Japanese Experiment

Please enjoy the music i love

Jazz Matters