News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Life
Culture & Art
Hobbies
News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Culture & Art
Hobbies
Count Me In… 12/24 - Jazz Journal
When Robert Johnson decided to “dust his broom” in 1936, he had embarked on what today might be described as stalking. Like a lot of other male-orientated blues lyrics, his indicate how he’d been mistreated by a woman and was determined to phone her, write to her, or otherwise contact the “no good doney” wherever […]
Anton du Beke and Quincy Jones among Jazz FM's Christmas attractions - Jazz Journal
Jazz FM gets some celebrity glitter on Christmas Day when Strictly Come Dancing star Anton du Beke joins the presenting team, 1700-1900, to play “Christmas jazz classics” from his collection. Perhaps unsurprisingly, his favourites are from the days when jazz was a dance music, although he acknowledges that mainstream is a starting point for an […]
Obituary: Derek Ansell - Jazz Journal
Derek Ansell, who had written for Jazz Journal since the mid-80s, died suddenly, aged 90, on 13 December. He had reported a gastric problem as, in mid-November, he regretfully withdrew from writing an obituary of Lou Donaldson, a player right in the middle of his musical ambit. I never guessed anything serious was afoot, but […]
International Jazz Piano Festival, Kalisz, Poland - Jazz Journal
The 51st International Jazz Pianists Festival in Kalisz, Poland came to an end on 24 November 2024. Just as for last year’s jubilee edition of the event, its organiser – the Center for Culture and Art in Kalisz – prepared a four-day programme. The festival began 21 November with a concert by a duo – […]
Obituary: Martial Solal - Jazz Journal
Born in Algiers to Algerian Jewish parents, Martial Solal was encouraged in music from an early age by his mother, an amateur opera singer. Largely self-educated, he was expelled from school by the Vichy regime in 1942 because of his Jewish ancestry but after studying classical music in school, and encouraged by a local bandleader, […]
Zakir Hussain dies - Jazz Journal
The tabla player Zakir Hussain died from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in San Francisco on 16 December at the age of 73. The son of tabla master Ustad Allarakha (Ravi Shankar’s longtime accompanist), he was widely regarded as the greatest tabla player of his generation and played a leading role in the adoption of the tabla […]
Caroline Davis: 'I think it’s important to build an altar for people we’ve lost' - Jazz Journal
Milky smoke from an incense stick is pirouetting around a dozen porcelain cats and one bowl of dry-roasted peanuts. Alto saxophonist Caroline Davis lights a candle. Then she opens a copy of Before The Trees Turn Gray. It’s a collection of poetry written by her English grandmother, Joan Anson-Weber, who passed away in 2010. “I […]
Sonny Clark, Fragile Virtuoso - Jazz Journal
Pianist Sonny Clark, given the regularity with which he – in common with quite a few others – recorded for Blue Note either as a sideman or under their own name, might be described as the label’s house pianist. His hard-bop style was quite in keeping with what the label’s predominantly known for, despite the […]
Martial Solal dies - Jazz Journal
French pianist Martial Solal, famous for scoring the music for Jean-Luc Godard’s film À Bout De Souffle, died 12 December, aged 97. Born in Algeria, 23 August 1927, the son of an amateur opera singer, Solal got his love of jazz from a local bandleader, who taught him piano. He moved to Paris in the […]
Kate Kortum and the Juilliard All Stars at Chris’ Jazz Café, Philadelphia - Jazz Journal
Kate Kortum’s band is rattling the wood-panelled walls of this L-shaped venue – but the singer is nowhere to be seen. Her four college buddies are playing Resignation, composed by the group’s tenor saxophonist Aidan McKeon. Kortum is hovering backstage in a fancy frock, waiting to make a big entrance. It’s an old showbiz trick. […]
Ursula Harrison: 'I usually avoid labelling myself as a jazz musician' - Jazz Journal
Bassist and composer Ursula Harrison, winner of BBC Young Jazz Musician 2024, didn’t have to cast widely for an influential exemplar: her mum, bassist Paula Gardiner, founder of the jazz course at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, was on hand. But where the mother might cherish a definition of jazz with sturdy […]
Sean Khan: 'Jazz is full of little cliques, and musicians are not the nicest people' - Jazz Journal
London saxophonist and flautist Sean Khan has been much acclaimed for albums such as Palmares Fantasy, a 2018 collaboration with Hermeto Pascoal, 2021’s Supreme Love: A Journey Through Coltrane and this year’s Sean Khan Presents The Modern Jazz And Folk Ensemble Volume 1, on which he reinvents tracks originally recorded by British folk artists of […]
Reviewed: Perfect Stranger | Artie Zaitz | Jocelyn Gould | Geoff Kim - Jazz Journal
Perfect Stranger: Unfinished Business (Spark 011) The gestation of Chris Sansom’s magnum opus suffered a 50-year hiatus. Sansom composed his four-part suite for nonet – originally entitled Life And Times – whilst completing a BMus degree at King’s College, London. His band, assembled in 1974, was populated by members of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, […]
Christian McBride Quartet at the Village Vanguard, NYC - Jazz Journal
Christian McBride’s left hand is lolling on the shoulder of his double bass. It stirs only to push chunky-framed spectacles higher up his nose. The eight-time Grammy winner has released more than 20 albums and appeared on over 300 records as a sideman. He has played in almost every genre, with almost every star musician. […]
Reviewed: Paul Dunmall | Xhosa Cole | Mark Kavuma & The Banger Factory | Playtime | Martin Küchen & Mathias Landæus | Lina Nyberg - Jazz Journal
Paul Dunmall: Red Hot Ice (Discus 186CD) The Dunmall renaissance continues with this fine nine-strong romp, recently recorded in Birmingham. Dunmall leads, of course, on tenor and soprano saxes, supported by, in particular, Percy Pursglove on trumpet, Andrew Woodhead on organ and synths, and an ever fluid James Owston on bass, but space is left […]
Reviewed: Joel Frahm | Elin Forkelid | Pony Boy All-Star Big Band | Sun Ra - Jazz Journal
Joel Frahm: Lumination (Anzic Records ANZ-0091) The Joel Frahm Trio, consisting of tenor saxophonist Joel Frahm, bassist Dan Loomis and drummer Ernesto Cervini has existed as a unit for around a decade. Consequently the cohesion in the threesome is immediately apparent as Lumination unfolds. Despite lacking a chord-based instrument their collective ethos of melodic intention […]
Reviewed: Paul Dunmall, Kevin Figes, Julie Tippetts | Pinky Winters | Nano Brothers | Anna Webber | Hubbub | Miguel Zenón - Jazz Journal
The arguably embattled “jazz community” continues on a path which, in keeping with the rest of the so-called music industry, seems intent on the denial of reality and from the marketing point of view at least utilising a form of excited puffing over talents the like of which are being touted on such a regular […]
Reviewed: Unleashed Cooperation | Arild Andersen | Louis Sclavis, Benjamin Moussay | Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Paul Motian - Jazz Journal
Unleashed Cooperation: Trust (MultiKulti MPPA005) New to me, the superb Polish ensemble Unleashed Cooperation features Krzysztof Kusmierek (ts), Patryk Rynkiewicz (t), Patryk Matwiejczuk (p), Flavio Gullotta (b) and Stanislaw Aleksandrowicz (d) – with Anna Gadt (v) contributing compelling lyrics and vocalese to four of the eight tracks which make up the 44 minutes of the […]
Reviewed: Dusko Goykovich | Olivier Robin | Matt Panayides | Mark Masters | John-Paul Muir - Jazz Journal
All but two of the charts on Doo’s Blues, the Dusko Goykovich album I review below, are by the Serbian trumpeter himself, including the most unlikely jazz title ever, The Wedding March Of Alexander The Macedonian. It’s worth noting Goykovich’s contribution – he died last year – to the still hazily differentiated category of European […]
Reviewed: Simon Oslender, Steve Gadd, Will Lee | Joe Webb | King Llama - Jazz Journal
Simon Oslender, Steve Gadd, Will Lee: All That Matters (Leopard 31453) Steve Gadd witnessed and sat in with legendary organist Jack McDuff at an early age, so it’s been satisfying in recent years to see the now 79-year-old drummer gravitating back towards his early love of 60s Hammond-heavy R&B- most notably with the popular Blicher […]
Reviewed: Mavis Rivers | Irene Kral | Ineza with Alex Webb & The Copasetics | Francesco Bearzatti, Stefano Risso & Mattia Barbieri | Day Dream | Brian Landrus - Jazz Journal
Mavis Rivers: Four Classic Albums Plus (Take A Number, The Simple Life, Hooray For Love, Mavis) (AVID Jazz AMSC1462) Singers are often a tricky bunch – some are referred to simply as popular or even “quality” vocalists, others fall readily under the jazz umbrella. The relatively unknown Mavis Rivers falls into both categories. Originally from […]
Reviewed: Bob Anderson | Jack Wood & Nichaud Fitzgibbon | Doug Ferony | Julia Danielle - Jazz Journal
Bob Anderson: Live! (Jazz Hang Records JHR910BA) It’s a toss-up whether I should subtitle this piece “I Really Should Get Out More”, or “Let’s Hear It For Serendipity”. Every month or so the editor sends out a list of new releases and invites us to nominate any we care to review, and increasingly there are […]
Reviewed: Classic V-Disc Small Group Jazz Sessions | Chet Baker | Kenny Barron & Buster Williams | Tina Brooks | Al Jarreau & NDR Bigband - Jazz Journal
Various: Classic V-Disc Small Group Jazz Sessions (Mosaic MD11-279) This 11-CD set is a collection of 1943-1949 swing-era and early bop recordings originally made exclusively for the US armed forces during World War II. It consists of 220 tracks, nine of which have never previously been released, taken from the original V-Discs, air checks and […]
Reviewed: Mike Chillingworth | Felix Henkelhausen | Kjetil Møster | Marius Neset & Leif Ove Andsnes - Jazz Journal
If there’s a common theme linking this month’s releases then it must surely be rhythm. The first two come from composers experimenting with complex polyrhythms, Møster’s beats are rather more rudimentary but devastatingly effective, while Neset’s percussion-less chamber quartet play with the kind of gusto that generates its own momentum. Mike Chillingworth: Friday The Thirteenth […]
Reviewed: BMP | The Noonan Trio | Celestial Latitude - Jazz Journal
BMP: Seriously (Shanachie 5517) Three albums this month that show the sheer diversity of music that comes under the jazz umbrella. Seriously finds three experienced musicians team up for some smooth sounds: bassist Brian Bromberg, guitarist and producer Paul Brown and chart-topping saxophonist Michael Paulo, “three humble dudes” (as the cringe-making publicity notes describes them) […]
Reviewed: Baptiste Castets | Naomi Gee Wright | Teis Semey - Jazz Journal
Baptiste Castets: Patience (Fresh Sound New Talent 694) The New Talent imprint of the Spanish Fresh Sound label puts relatively unknown artists in the spotlight and their releases rarely if ever disappoint. Patience is no exception. I was not familiar with drummer Baptiste Castets and his French compatriots. It’s a pleasant surprise. Castets presents seemingly […]
Reviewed: Phil Woods | Cannonball Adderley With Sergio Mendes | Sam Most - Jazz Journal
Phil Woods: Integrity (Red 123177-2) Performing on nearly 700 albums (150 as a leader) Phil Woods kept the bebop flame burning brightly throughout a long and productive career. He burst onto the scene with Dizzy Gillespie’s big band in 1956 and soon became established as the first-call alto in the highly competitive New York studio […]
Reviewed: Giuseppe Venezia | Calgaréal | Avishai Cohen | Kristin Korb | Scott Colley, Edward Simon, Brian Blade - Jazz Journal
Without realising it, this month has been a treat for someone who appreciates the sound of the bass. I have the new releases from Avishai Cohen, Kristin Korb and Giuseppe Venezia in my pile for November and I can’t wait to jump into the deep lows that the instrument offers. I start with… Giuseppe Venezia: […]
Reviewed: Jaden Evans | Kalya Ramu | Fred Hersch, Steve LaSpina, Jeff Hirshfield | Dann Zinn | Donna Brooks | Bill Evans - Jazz Journal
Jaden Evans: Evans On Evans (Shamus Records) Jaden Evans is only 16 as I write this, and he has done his own trio date with two leading players. As he’s Bill Evans’ grandson perhaps that’s not so surprising. Nor is it surprising it that he is a skilled pianist with a light touch. Here he […]
Reviewed: Judith Owen | Gordon Wellard | Snorre Kirk | Kim Cypher | Gordon Beck - Jazz Journal
Judith Owen: Swings Christmas (Twanky Records) Welsh born, New Orleans-based chanteuse Judith Owen has just released her 15th album. Backed by her 17-piece J.O. Big Band, she delivers a diverse and upbeat collection of Christmas songs of the swinging, secular sort. If you’re after traditional Christmas carols don’t look here. Jazz versions of Have Yourself […]
Reviewed: Michel Petrucciani | Neta Raanan | Collin Sherman - Jazz Journal
Michel Petrucciani: Jazz Club Montmartre (Storyville Records 1038541) This previously unreleased live double album from Copenhagen’s Jazzhus Montmartre features the French master in a magnificent trio with Gary Peacock (bass) and Roy Haynes (drums). The trio existed only for a studio session in 1987 and a short European tour the next year, of which this […]
Reviewed: Alan Barnes, David Newton | Christian Sands | Tigran Hamasyan | Ivo Neame | Yonathan Avishai | Christine Xu - Jazz Journal
Alan Barnes, David Newton: ’Tis Autumn (Woodville Records WVCD154) When I was a young jazz snob living and listening in London, I went to all the best clubs, encountered the most demanding of the avant-garde, heard all the visiting Americans, and thoroughly enjoyed Bracknell and other festivals. Home-grown jazz passed me by, unless it was […]
Playing The Changes: Jazz At An African University And On The Road - Jazz Journal
Darius Brubeck has “played the changes” both as a musician, and politically, through deep involvement in the cultural politics of South Africa, 1983-2005. With partner Catherine, he moved there in 1983 to lead Africa’s first jazz-studies degree programme, at University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in Durban. In 1989, he became director of the new Centre for […]
Poland: the 30th Jazz at the Museum, with James Carter, Take 6 and Harold López-Nussa - Jazz Journal
Ostrów’s series of jazz concerts titled “Jazz at the Museum” celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. The originator of the event, Jerzy Wojciechowski, announced that the commemoration would be duly celebrated, and he kept his promise. This has resulted in as many as eight unique concerts in 2024, including the final three at the end […]
JJ 11/84: Cedar Walton - Eastern Rebellion 4 - Jazz Journal
On the face of it, this is the kind of release I would normally pass by, dismissing it as just another set of standards with the odd original, played by just another set of highly competent but derivative musicians. What attracted me was the presence of tenorist Bob Berg, who was with Miles Davis in […]
JJ 11/94: Alan Barnes & David Newton - Like Minds - Jazz Journal
Thirty years ago Richard Palmer loved a duo between pianist Newton and the saxophonist who asked, in the first throes of the UK's endless jazz boom, 'This constant search for innovation is a bit negative. What's wrong with just being good?'
JJ 11/84: Abercrombie/Scofield - Solar - Jazz Journal
Neither Abercrombie or Scofield has made his name as a standards player, though you can bet that both have got that side of things pretty well covered, and this new record proves it. There is some original work here – two by Abercrombie (Even Steven and Sing Song) and one by Scofield (Small Wonder), but […]
Christopher Riddle: a tribute - Jazz Journal
Many people cross our paths, and if we are lucky, meaningful relationships develop with those who touch us in the most inspiring way. One such person who graced my orbit and became one of my most valued and cherished friends was Christopher Riddle, the son of arranger and composer, Nelson Riddle. Over the past few […]