Personnel:
Linus Eppinger (g), Sam Braysher (as), Darryl Hall (b), Eric Ineke (d)
Reference: FSRCD 5147
Bar code: 8427328651479
The quartet heard here came about as a result of a mixture of old and new connections and relationships. Linus and T have never lived in the same countr but became friends whilst playing in a band called “Rebop”. Keen to continue playing together as that band became inactive, we put together a few short tours in the UK (where I live in London) and around Amsterdam (where Linus is based), which saw us building up a repertoire of tunes we enjoyed, whilst being accompanied by various local rhythm sections.
When it felt like the time had come to document the musical thing we had going, i felt obvious to ask Eric Ineke to play drums on the record date. Having played with him in Den Haag, we loved his glorious cymbal beat and hearing his stories about the many jazz legends that he has shared the bandstand with since the 1960s.
Neither Eric nor I had met Darryl until shortly before this recording, although he was certainly aware of his reputation as one of Europe's top bassists, but Linus thought that he would make for a great combination in the engine room with our drummer. He was, of course, correct, and Darryl and Eric seemed to hit it off immediately, both on and off the bandstand, the bassist's huge quarter notes and casy-going personality making everyone and everything feel good.
Following consecutive gigs in Den Haag and Amsterdam, we hit the studio near Utrecht on our third day together as a quartet. The repertoire was a mixture of tunes that Linus and I had played together in the past, plus a few new ones that we thought would work well for the group. The music couldn't be too complicated, given the lack of rehearsal time, and, anyway, we were keen to capture the relaxed, in-the-moment atmosphere that we'd felt when playing together on stage.
A short, relatively smooth session ensued, with mini rehearsals and on-the-spot arrangements transpiring between takes. It goes without saying that it was an honour and a privilege for Linus and me to record with musicians of Eric and Darryl's stature, and we are grateful for their generosity, enthusiasm and wisdom. We really hope that you will enjoy this collaboration between an English saxophonist, an Amsterdam-besed German guitarist, an American bassist living in France and a Dutch drummer.
—Sam Braysher
"A Sinner Kissed An Angel is the kind of jazz record that doesn’t try to impress you. Built around the partnership of guitarist Linus Eppinger and alto saxophonist Sam Braysher, the album feels like a natural extension of a long musical conversation rather than a carefully constructed studio statement. Recorded with a seasoned rhythm section including bassist Darryl Hall and drummer Eric Ineke, the album thrives on immediacy. Much of the material was shaped with minimal rehearsal, aiming to capture the “in-the-moment” interplay the quartet developed on stage. That spontaneity defines the record: tempos breathe, phrases stretch, and nothing feels overworked.
The title of the album is itself a statement of intent. A Sinner Kissed An Angel is a ballad sung by Frank Sinatra with the Tommy Dorsey band, precisely the kind of lesser-known gem from the American Songbook that both Eppinger and Braysher have made their special province. The repertoire draws on composers including Horace Silver, Dusty Springfield, Benny Goodman and Frank Sinatra, a programme that ranges from Blue Note hard bop to pre-war swing and Tin Pan Alley balladry, all filtered through the cool intelligence these two leaders share. A fantastic mix of jazz standards and originals, from “A Smooth One” to “Relaxing at Camarillo.” Rather than radically reimagining these tunes, the quartet approaches them with deep respect and subtle individuality.
The interplay between the four musicians is one of the album’s defining strengths. Eppinger’s guitar work is particularly notable for its restraint. He avoids flashy virtuosity, instead favouring clean lines and a warm, rounded tone that blends seamlessly into the ensemble. Braysher complements this with an alto sound that is poised and articulate, often leading the melodic narrative but never overpowering it. Together, they create a front line defined by balance and mutual listening.
What elevates the album is the rhythm section. Hall’s bass lines are full-bodied and grounding, while Ineke’s drumming, steeped in decades of jazz history, adds both swing and subtle colour. Their presence gives the music a sense of lineage, connecting the younger leaders to the broader continuum of jazz. Their presence lends the album a weight and authority that anchor the two younger leaders without ever constraining them.
What makes this album more than the sum of its admittedly impressive tracks is the feeling of genuine pleasure that radiates from every track. This is music made by persons who love these songs, who love jazz, and especially who love playing with each other.
This why the overall mood is relaxed. There are no grand gestures or conceptual frameworks, just four musicians engaging deeply with each other. That simplicity is deliberate: the album prioritizes feel, groove, and conversation over complexity or technical display. This isn’t a record that tries to impress with flash or volume.
The richness here isn’t about showing off. There is no excess here, no room to hide behind arrangement or production. In an era when jazz albums frequently announce their ambitions loudly, there is something quietly radical about a record this confident in the virtues of restraint, swing and beauty, and that’s why this album succeeds because of its honesty. It captures a fleeting moment between musicians, unpolished in the best sense, grounded in shared language, and rich with the kind of subtle interplay that only emerges when players truly listen to one another.
This album feels almost archival in spirit, not as a relic, but as an act of preservation infused with contemporary awareness. It reminds us that innovation in jazz does not always require rupture, it can emerge through attention, through detail, through a willingness to listen closely to what already exists. Jazz is notoriously tough to define, but really, it’s alive. It keeps moving, shapeshifting, refusing to sit still. Jazz is living music and this album proves it, right from the start."
—Frankie Pfeiffer (May, 2026)
https://www.paris-move.com/reviews/
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"A truly international, multi-generational band, the Sam Braysher-Linus Eppinger Quartet launches its debut album on the iconic Spanish label Fresh Sound New Talent. With a sound rooted in the classic swinging jazz of the '50s and '60s, the band's varied repertoire includes music associated with Horace Silver, Dusty Springfield, Benny Goodman, George Cables and Frank Sinatra. Critically acclaimed London saxophonist Sam Braysher co-leads this formation with Linus Eppinger, a charismatic Amsterdam-based guitarist. These two friends and rising stars of European jazz join forces with two of the continent’s great veteran rhythm section players (Eric Ineke and Darryl Hall) on a programme that is by turns groovy, fun and heartfelt. Sam Braysher, “whose warm tone and consonant and inquisitive approach to harmony is attracting growing attention on the British jazz scene”, (All About Jazz) is a London-based alto saxophonist, who has received widespread critical acclaim for his three albums to date. He is joined by special guest Linus Eppinger, a young guitarist who takes inspiration from the bluesy swagger of Wes Montgomery and George Benson and is now one of Amsterdam's busiest musicians. 2026 sees Sam and Linus releasing an album on the iconic Spanish label Fresh Sound New Talent. With a sound rooted in the classic swinging jazz of the '50s and '60s, their varied repertoire on A Sinner Kissed an Angel includes music associated with Horace Silver, Dusty Springfield, Benny Goodman, George Cables and Frank Sinatra. The pair are joined by a truly world class rhythm section: Eric Ineke, a legend of Dutch jazz, whose hard swinging beat has accompanied Dexter Gordon, George Coleman, Al Cohn, Johnny Griffin, Barry Harris and so many others; and Darryl Hall, the powerful American double bassist who won the Thelonious Monk jazz prize before working with Cedar Walton, Ravi Coltrane and Carmen Lundy. ""I can’t think of another alto saxophonist with a sound quite like Sam Braysher’s”"
—Dave Gelly (April, 2026)
The Observer
