Europe Jazz Network: Media Chart 2025
Europe Jazz Network (EJN) is a nonprofit Europe-wide association of producers, presenters and supporting organisations who specialise in creative music, contemporary jazz and improvised music created from a distinctly European perspective.
Euro Jazz Media Chart — a selection of the hot new music surfacing across the continent this month by the top European jazz magazines and websites.
Every month at the Europe Jazz Network Media Chart 2024, we publish a newly released album, which interested us most of all.
Europe Jazz Network: Media Chart 2024
March, 2025
ANDRII BARMALII
V Апофеоз (V Apotheosis)
Kontrabass, 2025
Review by Kateryna Ziabliuk
V Апофеоз (V Apotheosis) is a live album by Ukrainian saxophonist Andrii Barmalii, a strikingly bright figure on the local jazz scene. It marks his second full-length release following the explosive debut Autoportrack, where he made a bold statement as a music producer. While rooted in jazz and improvised music, his distinctive aesthetic draws from techno, dub, rock, and experimental influences. This time, however, the album takes an acoustic form, featuring an outstanding lineup of Ukrainian improvisers —Oleksandr Yavdyk (drums), Yevhen Pugachov (guitar), Maryan Karpinskyi (guitar), and Stanislav Diachenko (bass). Karpinskyi and Pugachov also appeared in previous album reviews at the Media Chart. V Апофеоз presents a striking contrast of raw intensity and poignant melodicism— as they say, it is an “immersive artistic act”, because it is the fifth part of the long-term project called Do Lia (which means “destiny” in Ukrainian, but also the notes C and A in solmization). After all, we have been growing up on the music of Ambrose Akinmusire, which I can still hear in everything they do. Listening to this album, you can feel what it means to carry the unbearable, to long for lost freedom, yet remain ready to dedicate a lifetime to fighting for it.
The full Europe Jazz Media Chart (March) is here.
April, 2025
HYPHEN DASH
Basement 626
(self-released)
Review by Kateryna Ziabliuk
Basement 626 is the latest release from the Ukrainian band Hyphen Dash, known in recent years for their socially conscious, conceptual, and visually captivating musical artistry. This album stands out in its form—despite the playfully titled tracks, the music was entirely improvised, with no definitive endings, each piece seamlessly leading into the next. The musicians fully embrace their craft, allowing their personalities to shine through in a raw, unfiltered way. The guitar, drifting between effects, remains delicate and restrained, while the drums provide subtle yet steady momentum. Recorded in a basement in Kramatorsk, just 15 km from the frontline, Basement 626 captures an unbreakable spirit amidst adversity. The album is available on Bandcamp, with all proceeds dedicated to urgent rehabilitation efforts for those affected by the war.
The full Europe Jazz Media Chart (April) is here.