Sounds Of Surprise

The author, Barnes Common, London. Photo by Paul Kingsley

Named after Whitney Balliett’s famous description of jazz and also the series of Channel Four music documentaries commissioned by my father Michael back in the 1980s, this website features writing on everything jazz-related, from acoustic jazz to fusion, occasionally stopping off at avant-garde, blues and soul/funk/R’n’B.

You’ll find gig reviews (London venues unless otherwise stated), book/album/DVD reviews, obituaries, general musings and the Rescued From The Vaults feature looking at underrated gems from down the years.

I’m a writer, musician and record executive. My writing has featured in many publications including Jazzwise, Classic Pop, The Oldie, Record Collector, uDiscover and Everything Jazz, where I have written about Jimmy Smith, Jack DeJohnette, Bennie Maupin, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, John Scofield/Pat Metheny, Coleman Hawkins, Geri Allen, Roy Ayers, Horace Silver, Horace Silver (again), Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman, Immanuel Wilkins, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Miles Davis, Miles Davis (again), John Coltrane, John Coltrane (again), John Coltrane (again), Charles Mingus, Stan Getz, Stan Getz (again), Kenny Wheeler, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, Tony Williams, Pat Metheny and Oliver Nelson.

I have another website dedicated to the music and culture of the 1980s: movingtheriver.com

I’m the author of ‘Level 42: Every Album, Every Song‘, the first indepth study of the jazz/funk/pop supergroup’s prestigious catalogue. My latest book on guitar legend John McLaughlin can be ordered via the links on this page.

Since 2010, I have been Jazz FM’s Web Editor and Universal Music’s Jazz Catalogue Manager, looking after the fabled output on the Blue Note, Impulse, Verve, ECM, Concord (Milestone, Prestige etc.), Decca, Virgin, Polydor, MCA and EMI labels.

I won the inaugural Jazzwise Write Stuff award for new jazz writing in 2003 and was Music Adviser on Mike Dibb’s Channel Four documentary ‘Keith Jarrett: The Art of Improvisation‘ and on 2014 feature film ‘Titus‘.

I’ve written the liner notes for the Grammy-nominated ‘Miles Davis: Birth Of The Cool’ DVD and albums/box sets by Danny Wilson, Billy Cobham, Tony Williams, Working Week, Maynard Ferguson, LA Express, Don Ellis, and Steve Khan.

I’ve performed and recorded with many artists and bands including the Shez Raja Collective, Anthony Joseph and the Spasm Band, Planetman and the Internationalz, Billy Cobham, Jem Godfrey, Moke, Scott Stroman and Jean Toussaint. I co-wrote two tracks on Silver Sun’s 2006 album Dad’s Weird Dream. Check out my Bandcamp page and drumming profile.

Matt’s favourite jazz and jazz-related albums:

That’s The Way I Feel Now: A Tribute To Thelonious Monk

Miles Davis: Star People

Soweto Kinch: The New Emancipation

Weather Report: Sportin’ Life

Oliver Nelson: Blues And The Abstract Truth

Bob Belden: Black Dahlia

Eddie Gomez: Mezgo

The Quintet (Mingus, Powell, Parker, Gillespie, Roach): Live At Massey Hall

Mike Stern: Upside Downside

Vinnie Colaiuta (1994)

Jan Garbarek: Places

Brad Mehldau: Places

Dave Brubeck: Bravo Brubeck!

Marc Johnson’s Bass Desires: Second Sight

Bud Powell: The Amazing Bud Powell

John Scofield: Blue Matter

Miles Davis: Nefertiti

Billy Cobham: Spectrum

Weird Nightmare: Meditations On Mingus

Wayne Shorter: Phantom Navigator

Donald Fagen: The Nightfly

Jason Rebello: A Clearer View

Thelonious Monk: Genius Of Modern Music Vols. 1 & 2

Stanley Clarke (1974)

Larry Carlton: Last Nite

Herbie Hancock/Wayne Shorter/Freddie Hubbard/Ron Carter/Tony Williams: VSOP The Quintet

Bireli Lagrene: Foreign Affairs

Lyle Mays: Street Dreams

John Patitucci: One More Angel

Scott Henderson/Tribal Tech: Illicit

Herbie Hancock: Head Hunters

Keith Jarrett: Expectations

John McLaughlin/One Truth Band: Electric Dreams

Marcus Miller/Miles Davis: Music From Siesta

Steely Dan: Gaucho

Allan Holdsworth: Hard Hat Area

Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On

Ornette Coleman: Change Of The Century

John Abercrombie: Getting There

Weather Report: Mr Gone

Steve Khan: Casa Loco

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COPYRIGHT

© Matt Phillips 2015-2025. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used – in fact are encouraged – provided that full and clear credit is given to Matt Phillips/soundsofsurprise.com with appropriate and specific links back to the original content. Copyright is not claimed for images of album covers.

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