These Jubilee Concerts made it possible to experience at close quarters what ACT exists to achieve: it is a leading label where listeners can discover newly created music “in the Sprit of jazz.”. Mike Flynn, Editor of Jazzwise wrote in his review of the concert that the ACT label has “a smile on its face and a swagger in its step”. And where might the best evidence for that statement be found? It’s all there on this album.

When it comes to jazz musicians improving with age, the pianist Richie Beirach is a perfect example. With the release of “Live at Birdland New York” the pianist-composer is celebrating his 70th birthday, and demonstrates he’s still at the top of his game.

Jan Lundgren: piano, Mattias Svensson: bass, Claudia Bonfiglioli: violin, Daniela Bonfiglioli: violin, Karolina Weber Ekhdal: viola, Charlotta Weber Widestrom: cello

A new beginning for Tonbruket: Some of the tracks are extremely soft and gentle, romantic, acoustic, jazz-inspired, while others use prog rock as a springboard from which to make the short leap into heavy metal. The pieces the band plays can differ hugely from each other in shape, intensity and stylistic origin. The result of this is that the listener's attention tends to be drawn away from the specific and from the moment-to-moment, and towards the totality of what is happening. 

For their 5th album, German trumpeter Julian and pianist Roman Wasserfuhr are in Brooklyn. The rise of the Wasserfuhrs has been meteoric, and “Landed in Brooklyn“ documents another important stage of it.

“Marius Neset is one of the great new tenor sax players of our age, in the tradition of Michael Brecker and Jan Gabarek” (Jazzwise). After his excursion into the bigger band format on his ACT debut “Lion” with the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, Neset now returns to the compact quintet (with guests) for “Pinball“. Neset and his companions present a shimmering kaleidoscope of forms of expression and influences and delight with compositional and instrumental complexity. At the same time, Neset sounds more mature, soulful and melodic than ever before.

“The Big Wig” is a masterpiece by the multi-talented vocal marvel Andreas Schaerer. This is a work which situates him quite clearly and definitively among the most important composers and interpreters of contemporary music of his generation.

Marius Neset: tenor saxophone, Lars Danielsson: bass, Morten Lund: drums