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Mississippi Goddamn: A Celebration of Nina Simone review – singers capture star’s emotional spirit

Corinne Bailey Rae’s vamping and Laura Mvula’s whispering pain steal the show as five vocalists deliver their own interpretations

Sam Amidon: Salt River review – an eclectic if erratic affair

The US musician leads an accomplished yet slightly bland living room session spanning traditional numbers and songs by Lou Reed, Yoko Ono and more

Jacob Collier/Chris Thile/Britten Sinfonia review – Bach to Beatles and mass harmonies as virtuosic pair delight

An enjoyably varied programme took in Piazzolla, Samuel Barber and Queen with Suzie Collier conducting the Britten Sinfonia, but the musical fireworks were all courtesy of her son Jacob and mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile

Jakob Bro: Taking Turns review – lost masterpiece from great Dane’s understated jazz supergroup

Played by world-class personnel including Bill Frisell and the late, great alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, this 2014 set is full of subtle, spontaneous ideas

Music: Kitty Empire’s 10 best albums of 2024

Americana’s classiest duo weather the storm, Kendrick Lamar has the last word, UK jazz soars – and Charli xcx unleashes the power of Brat

Sun Ra Arkestra: Lights on a Satellite review – fitting tribute to a century of jazz

As saxophonist and band leader Marshall Allen turns 100, his evergreen outfit effortlessly draw on their rich history, as classics meet the cosmic

Laurie Anderson: Ark: United States V review – a long and winding bid to make sense of America

Contemplating a world of catastrophe and collapse, the veteran artist’s new three-hour show, though much too long and diffuse, has moments of poignancy – and joy

Lars Danielsson/ Verneri Pohjola/ John Parricelli: Trio review – wine chateau sessions mingle mature sensibilities

Bassist Danielsson, guitarist Parricelli and trumpeter Pohjola combine folksy melodies, Latin grooves and free-roaming improv on this lustrous album

Michael Mayo: Fly review – a bravura fusion of original work and jazz standards

The US singer-composer’s self-produced follow-up to Bones shifts from soul to a lighter, happier jazz sound

Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Paul Motian: The Old Country review – a delightful return to a cherished jazz venue

Full of blistering bebop and entrancing swing, this 1992 recording showcases the pianist’s love of the Deer Head Inn, the clapboard 1840s hotel where he cut his teeth

Ashley Henry: Who We Are review – upbeat innovation from a pianist with talent to burn

The London-born musician laces his jazz with a heady blend of soul and hip-hop on this fierce but joyous second album

Anna Butterss: Mighty Vertebrate review – jazz meets post-rock on shape-shifting delight

With guests including Tortoise’s Jeff Parker, the LA bassist’s second solo album is cerebral, groovy and beyond categorisation

Ezra Collective: Dance, No One’s Watching review – new moves with an emotive edge

The Mercury-winning quintet bring high energy to Afrobeat, Latin and soulful grooves – yet it is in the quieter moments that a fresh musicality emerges

Alice Zawadzki/Fred Thomas/Misha Mullov-Abbado: Za Górami review – beautiful music and absorbing stories

Seven years after a supposed one-off gig, the jazz-immersed trio release their debut album full of uniquely conveyed songs drawing from European, Latin and Sephardic Jewish sources

Lady Gaga: Harlequin review – Joker companion album does jazz standards with a gaudy grin

The pop superstar sounds fully in her element in these immaculately covered classics, but the whiff of big band week on The X Factor is hard to shift

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  • Metallica review – metal legends break out the pyrotechnics … and a Proclaimers cover
  • Candomblé: Sacred Rhythms in Brazil review – ceremonial drumming remixed for the dancefloor
  • Downtown Boys: Public Luxury review – a joyful blast of bilingual political punk
  • Jonathan Kuo: Java Dreams album review – young pianist brings unflashy exuberance to complex works
  • Phoebe Bridgers: Lost Boys review – ghosts, guns and guileless youth on generational songwriter’s return
  • Brahms’ Last Concert review – OAE and Emelyanychev take audience back to 1897
  • Anna Netrebko review – high camp and bel canto brilliance as star soprano shows she’s still the real deal
  • Orchestral Works of Mel Bonis album review – full justice is done to her finely crafted and sensuous music
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  • Hayley Williams review – punk and R&B expertly intertwine on first solo tour for Paramore star
  • Aldeburgh festival roundup – Tansy Davies and Freya Waley-Cohen premieres, plus blistering Shostakovich
  • Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland review – Lewis Carroll’s familiar characters move in from the garden
  • Das Rheingold review – a sure-footed feast as Alberich descends into madness
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  • Ibeyi: Offering review – French twin sisters master the balance between mysticism and edge
  • Joe Lovano: Paramount Quartet review – inspired sax maestro bounces from bebop to fertile improv
  • Elgar and Dvořák: Cello Concertos album review – Gerhardt’s readings are forthright, refreshing and thoughtful
  • Brahms: Violin Sonatas album review – Ehnes and Armstrong’s performances exude an effortless rightness
  • Myles Smith: My Mess, My Heart, My Life review – faceless, formulaic mush of Mumfords, Sheeran and Coldplay
  • Lily Allen review – West End Girl’s marital collapse is superbly evoked at arena scale
  • L’Orfeo review – Kentridge’s exhilarating creativity animates compelling Monteverdi
  • BBCSSO / Wigglesworth / Osborne review – jazz energy meets its match in French insouciance
  • Zach Bryan review – colossal US country star converts the UK to his inclusive take on the rodeo
  • Download festival review – Guns N’ Roses flop and Letlive thrive as metal’s biggest fest enters the future
  • Ariana Grande review – glittering hits and powerhouse vocals in stunning return to stage
  • Pelléas et Mélisande review – luminous semi-staging but Debussy’s elusive opera keeps its secrets

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