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Diego Pinera 4+4 - 2026 - Romanian Dance

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(43:40; Iapetus) The first time I came across drummer and composer Diego Piñera was when I reviewed ‘Evidence’ which was recorded alongside John Patitucci and David Kikoski but now he has taken a very different musical leap as he combines a jazz quartet with a classical quartet to combine improvised and composed music in a setting where everyone can expand. There has been a total change in line-up to accommodate this so here is he is working with Igor Osypov (guitar), Peter Ehwald (saxophone), Marcel Krömker (bass), Semion Gurevich (violin I), Alessia Laurora (violin II), Joaquín León Fernández (viola) and Elisabet Iserte López (cello). I do not know if either quartet were operating before they joined forces, but they have obviously been working together for a while as this does not sound like two groups of four musicians from different musical areas, but very much as a seamless whole. Recorded over two days last October, this album finds Piñera taking Béla Bartók as a living influence...
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Dewa Budjana & Czech Symphony Orchestra - 2025 - Praguenayama

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(29:32; Moonjune Records [2026 Edition] ) I have long been a fan of “the Little Master”, who is renowned for being co-founder of popular Indonesian group Gigi who have now been in existence for more than 30 years, as well as having a solo career which commenced in the Nineties. However, it was his discovery by Leonardo Pavkovic and the consequent signing to Moonjune for his fifth solo album, ‘Dawai In Paradise’, that has led to a more international recognition of his talents. This 30-minute-long five-track album/EP finds him in a position far removed from his normal styles as here he is performing with the Czech Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Michaela Růžičkova. Two of the pieces were composed especially for this project while the others are reworkings of previously recorded tunes which have now been expanded and given a very different style indeed. The result is a breathtaking combination of classical and rock, always intently musical and melodic with Dewa switching between classica...
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Magenta - 2026 - Tarot

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(57:17; Tigermoth Records) When it comes to modern progressive rock bands there are few who find themselves compared to the mighty Renaissance, but in this album, I believe Magenta are definitely channelling those influences. As one may guess from the title, on this album we are taken on a journey through a tarot deck, with four small classical guitar studies (“Etude 1-4”) which act as dividers or palate cleansers between the first five songs, which are each about individual cards, before we end on the title cut. It is impossible to imagine Magenta without this core trio of musicians as they have been there throughout their 25 year-long history, while Christina sang on Cyan’s second album, ‘Pictures From The Other Side’, more than 30 years ago. On this album Christina (lead vocals), Robert Reed (keyboards, bass, piano, rhythm guitars, recorders) and Chris Fry (lead and nylon guitars) are joined by none other than drummer Nick D’Virgilio (Big Big Train, Spock’s Beard, Genesis, Tears For...
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Denman Maroney - 2026 - Mean Times

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(64:34; Cuneiform Records) Here we have a recording which took place on  April 11th, 1995, at the Knitting Factory, New York, featuring Herb Robertson (trumpet), Ellery Eskelin (tenor saxophone), Denman Maroney (composition and sampled hyperpiano), Mark Dresser (bass) and Phil Haynes (drums). For those, like me, who wonder what hyperpiano stands for, I suggest you visit Denman’s website where it says, “When a piano is played the way it is supposed to be played, the keys are depressed, indirectly causing the hammers to strike the strings. But a piano can also be played by stopping, sliding, bowing, plucking, strumming and striking the strings directly with a variety of tools including bars, bowls, knives, bells and mashers of metal, boxes and bottles of plastic, mallets of various kinds, and blocks of rubber… Conventional piano music is made from a palate of 88 pitched tones having a particular timbre and envelope. Hyperpiano music is made from a much larger palette in which these t...
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Clearlight - 2026 - Symphonies [The Collected Recordings]

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(5xCD Box Set; Esoteric Recordings) This five-CD set brings together the most important albums from French symphonic progressive band Clearlight, namely their first four proper albums from the Seventies (neatly bypassing their third album, the soundtrack to the 1975 film ‘Visa de Censure N° X’), 'Clearlight Symphony', 'Forever Blowing Bubbles', 'Les Contes Du Singe Fou' and 'Visions' plus their 2014 release,  'Impressionist Symphony'. Clearlight was formed in 1973 by pianist and composer Cyrille Verdeaux who liked to collaborate with guests who worked in the same way he did, and through a series of events was introduced to both Gong and Richard Branson, with the first album appearing on Virgin and including Gong members Steve Hillage, Tim Blake and Didier Malherbe. Verdeaux then formed a full band in time for the second album which this time included former King Crimson violinist David Cross among others.  By the time of 1977’s 'Les Contes du...
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Blodwyn Pig - 2026 - The Recordings 1969-1974

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(3xCD Box Set; Esoteric Recordings) I have long felt that Jethro Tull not only released some truly amazing albums but also spawned some wonderful groups which never truly gained the recognition they deserved and these days are mostly forgotten by most. One of those was Wild Turkey which was formed by Glenn Cornick after his departure, while another (and arguably superior) was Blodwyn Pig formed by Mick Abrahams after he and Ian no longer saw eye to eye following the release of ‘This Was’. They burned very brightly indeed, releasing two albums which both reached the Top Ten in the UK before Mick was kicked out of his own band and he left the business for a while before coming back for a short while before leaving again. What we have here are a proto prog outfit which took ‘This Was’ as a template and then moved further into the blues. Mick recruited Jack Lancaster (saxophones, flute, violin), Andy Pyle (bass) and Ron Berg and created some beautiful music on ‘Ahead Rings Out and ‘Getting...
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The Gardening Club - 2026 - The Insubstantial Pageant

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(63:17; Melodic Revolution Records) I sometimes have to pinch myself when I think of Martin Springett and wonder just what might have been if his musical talents had been recognised at the right time. I first came across Martin when I reviewed the reissue of his debut solo album, 1983’s ‘The Gardening Club’ more than 40 years after it originally appeared. Not long afterwards he contacted me and I soon reviewed his other three releases, but I am sure neither of us realised what was going to happen next, in that he was going to form a new band in his seventies, and we now have the seventh album since the world started to catch up on his music. Here we have basically the same line-up as 2024’s ‘Another Country’, but I note that Norm Macpherson (who is responsible for the music alongside Martin and Kevin Laliberte) does not play on this one, so the line-up is Martin Springett (vocals, guitars), Kevin Laliberte (guitars, keyboards), Thomas Kinzel (piano), Drew Birston (fretless bass), Wayne...
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