Conor Chaplin

The Iiro Rantala HEL Trio is capable of incredible contrasts, and therein lies its appeal. As a pianist, Rantala can take the breath away both with his lightness of touch and the grace of his melodic lines. But then he can transform himself into other, very different characters: there is one who inspires laughter with his rummaging in the piano, another whose pathos, openness and honesty touch every heart. He has a baroque demeanour, his playing is full of relish, so that it only takes a few notes and he already has the audience on his side.

Emma Rawicz’s ACT debut features a prominent quintet with pianist Ivo Neame, bassist Connor Chaplin, guitarist Ant Law and drummer Asaf Sirkis - all of whom are established figures on the UK scene. "Chroma," Greek for "color," shows the full spectrum of an artist who has long outgrown newcomer status. As Jazzwise Magazine stated: "Emma Rawicz is already the real deal!"

Flying Machines feature some of the most innovative young musicians to have emerged from London's exploding jazz scene - Alex Munk on guitar & vocals, Matt Robinson on piano, Synths & Fender Rhodes, Conor Chaplin on electric bass and Dave Hamblett on drums. Having toured throughout the UK following the release of their critically acclaimed debut album in 2016, Flying Machines are now set to release their second album New Life (Ubuntu Music) this autumn and firmly establish themselves as one of the biggest breakthrough acts to have emerged from the UK jazz scene in recent years. New Life represents a significant milestone in the band's development.

With its debut album, Relentless (Brooke Records, 2011) WorldService Project announced itself as a band to watch. Since that release, the five-piece—led by keyboardist and principal composer Dave Morecroft—has consolidated its reputation as a cooking live band, in particular in its Match & Fuse live collaborations with like-minded bands from across Europe. Now, its second album, Fire in a Pet Shop, is radically different to Relentless; different enough that fans of the earlier record may wish to sample the follow-up before embracing it. This time out, WorldService Project seems to have opted to play it for laughs, as is suggested by the quirky album title itself (a phrase used as a disparaging description of certain types of improvised music) and the track name "Change the F**king Record"—both of which the group must surely hope will not come back to haunt it. In addition, the album's cartoon cover and in-jokey musician credits like "Morecroft: clown," contribute to the impression that WSP may have been overdosing on old Frank Zappa records.

It is no exaggeration to say: Norwegian tenor saxophonist Marius Neset plays in his own league. In addition, he is one of the most fascinating and versatile composers in jazz and far beyond - which, among other things, currently takes him as far as London's Royal Albert Hall. Downbeat states, "Marius Neset is not the future, but the present of European jazz." The album "Happy" features Neset with a new, top-class quintet. The album is divided into two parts: In the first half, playful, intricate, energetic songs dominate. And in the second part, Neset & Band take the listeners into a calmer suite. What all pieces have in common: You can hear the musicians' pure joy of playing in every note.