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Shabaka – ‘Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace’ – London Jazz News
Shabaka - Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace (Impulse!. Album review (from vinyl) by Phil Johnson) The vinyl edition of Shabaka Hutchings’ album is a thing of beauty. Thick cardboard gatefold sleeve, satisfyingly heavy platter, interesting art work, and that iconic orange Impulse! logo, familiar from LPs by John and Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders et…
Ni Maxine in Liverpool – London Jazz News
Ni MaxineLiverpool Philharmonic Hall- Music Room. 21 April 2024. Review by Frank Griffith) Ni Maxine. Photo credit: Kieran Irvine (www.kieranirvine.com). Liverpool-based vocalist Ni Maxine and her quintet performed to a capacity crowd on 21 April at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall’s Music Room. The programme - entitled Ode To Billie Holiday - included no fewer than…
Julian Siegel Quartet. On tour in England and Ireland, 28 Apr- 7 June – London Jazz News
Saxophonist and composer Julian Siegel follows up his acclaimed big band project, "Tales From The Jacquard", with a tour of selected dates in Ireland and England - including a Ronnie Scott’s show on 17 May - for his all-star quartet featuring pianist Liam Noble, bassist Oli Hayhurst and drummer Gene Calderazzo. Feature by Phil Johnson.…
24 April 2024 – London Jazz News
READ ELSEWHERE A fundraiser has been set up to help vocalist Anita Wardell recover from a recent major stroke - read more Sebastian reviewed Fred Hersch's new album on ECM, Silent, Listening, for the ArtsDesk - read more Richard Williams of the Blue Moment pays tribute to Chan Romero, creator of "The Hippy Hippy Shake"…
John Crawford – ‘Room for Dancing’ – London Jazz News
John Crawford – Room for Dancing(Elsden Music EM06. Album review by Bruce Lindsay) Room for Dancing is the somewhat ambiguous title of pianist and composer John Crawford’s latest album. What does it mean? Was it recorded in a room usually reserved for dancing? Does the music leave room for dancing? It’s a puzzle, but a…
Cassie Kinoshi’s seed – gratitude – London Jazz News
Cassie Kinoshi's seed - gratitude(International Anthem. Album Review by Tony Dudley-Evans) Cassie Kinoshi is becoming one of the most important alumnae of the Tomorrow's Warriors group of young musicians. She has been a member of Nerija and Kokoroko, but is now focusing on her role as a composer. She has been commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Sinfonietta,…
The Jazz Defenders – ‘Memory In Motion’ – London Jazz News
The Jazz Defenders – Memory In Motion(Haggis Records HRLP008 – album review by Mark McKergow) Bursting with energy, catchy arrangements, fine soloing and superb horn section work, this latest collection from The Jazz Defenders has a great deal to enjoy. The Defenders announce that they are ‘defending’ the spirit of hard bop jazz along the…
Gareth Lockrane Quintet at Ladbroke Hall – London Jazz News
Gareth Lockrane Quintet(Ladbroke Hall. 12 April 2024. Review by Jake Werth) L-R: Jim Watson, Nadim Teimoori, Freddie Jensen, Gareth Lockrane, Steve Brown. Who dares say yes to playing in Gareth Lockrane’s band? Just to be asked is probably one of the biggest compliments that a musician can receive in British jazz. Only our very best…
Equal Spirits – new album ‘Wise and Waiting’ – London Jazz News
Equal Spirits is an international ensemble of 24 musicians from the UK, Africa and Europe, curated by British trombonist and composer, Raph Clarkson. Their debut album, Wise and Waiting, will be released via Ubuntu Music on 26 April, with UK concerts in London and Bristol in May. Feature by Tara Minton. Raph Clarkson. Photo credit:…
Joe Lovano Trio Tapestry at Wigmore Hall – London Jazz News
Joe Lovano: Trio Tapestry(Wigmore Hall, 12 April 2024, review by Jon Turney) L-R: Marilyn Crispell, Joe Lovano, Carmen Castaldi. Photo credit: John Earls Joe Lovano’s work with Marilyn Crispell and Carmen Castaldi has been one of his main creative outlets now since 2018, with a trio of lauded albums on ECM showing three masters deepening…
Joe Farnsworth, Vincent Herring & Paul Stache reflect on NYC’s Smoke Jazz Club for its 25th anniversary – London Jazz News
Separate from his regular Mondays with Morgan column, jazz journalist Morgan Enos reached out to two NYC jazz veterans – saxophonist Vincent Herring and drummer Joe Farnsworth – to discuss their roles in the swinging legacy of Smoke Jazz Club, one of the pre-eminent jazz clubs in Manhattan. Paul Stache, the co-founder of Smoke, also…
10 April 2024 – London Jazz News
READ ELSEWHERE Richard Williams pays tribute to American drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath in the Guardian - read more …he is also remembered by Nate Chinen for WRTI - read more Ingrid & Christine Jensen appeal against Vancouver Island University's proposed plans to dismantle its music program - read more Neil Spencer reviewed bassist/vocalist Charlie Pyne's…
Applications from bands for “Jazz With” open until 30 April – London Jazz News
Sebastian writes: Europe DOES include the UK. The AJC organisation in France has just been in touch with the specific - and reassuring - message that their call for applications for a new "Franco-European" project called Jazz With includes bands with a UK element. Jazz With is an international iteration of AJC's hugely successful "Jazz…
Dreams Are Free: A Celebration of Bobby Wellins at the University of Chichester’s Showroom Theatre – London Jazz News
A Celebration of Bobby Wellins - Biopic Screening & Live Jazz(University of Chichester Showroom Theatre, 6 April. Review by Pete Woodman) L-R: Mark Edwards, Mornington Lockett, Steve Watts, Spike Wells. Photo credit: Pete Woodman. This was so much more than a concert. It was a true celebration of the life and work of the great…
De Beren Gieren – ‘What Eludes Us’ – London Jazz News
De Beren Gieren - What Eludes Us(SDBan Ultra – Album review by Peter Slavid) De Beren Gieren is an extremely adventurous Belgian trio, which on the surface looks like a piano trio. The musicians are Fulco Ottervanger on piano and synth, bass player Lieven Van Pée and drummer Simon Segers. All three musicians list electronica…
Ben Creighton Griffiths: London Debut for Chube, Pizza Express Soho, 7 May – London Jazz News
There’s something of a resurgence in jazz harp at the moment.. On 7 May, Ben Creighton Griffiths brings his Cardiff-based 'harp-led, electro-acoustic jazz fusion band' Chube for its London debut at Pizza Express in Dean Street. Feature by Bruce Lindsay. Chube. Photo by Elliot Cooper On a Zoom call from Cardiff, harpist Ben Creighton Griffiths…
An Evening with Kazuo Ishiguro & Stacey Kent at the Queen Elizabeth Hall – London Jazz News
An Evening with Kazuo Ishiguro & Stacey Kent(Queen Elizabeth Hall. 30 March 2024. Review by Dominique Jackson) The QEH stage. Image by Bianca Bagnarelli. Photo credit Ted Hodgkinson (*) “What should a modern day jazz song look like?” was the conundrum Kazuo Ishiguro had to wrestle when Stacey Kent first asked him to pen some…
John Etheridge interview – Benefit Concert for Herne Bay Jazz Festival – King’s Hall, 20 April – London Jazz News
John Etheridge's Blue Spirits will be performing at a Benefit Concert for the Herne Bay Jazz Festival at the King's Hall in Herne Bay on 20 April. In this interview by Kai Hoffman (*) John talks about guitars...Sting...the passing of John Marshall...and starts with his personal connection to this quintessential British seaside resort. LondonJazz News:…
Chris Searle – ‘Talking the Groove: Jazz Words from the Morning Star’ – London Jazz News
Chris Searle - Talking the Groove: Jazz Words from the Morning Star(Jazz in Britain, Book 394pp and double CD. £16.99. Book review by Jon Turney) “When we think of ‘jazz’, we’re thinking of music that was, from its beginnings, a radical act of resistance against some of the most brutal and dangerous parts of American…
Julian Sartorius\ Hidden Tracks: ‘Domodossola – Weissmies’ – London Jazz News
Julian Sartorius \Hidden Tracks - Domodossola - Weissmies(Everest Records. Album review by Tony Dudley-Evans) Drummer/percussionist Julian Sartorius from Switzerland specialises in solo performances; he has released a number of solo albums, created audiovisual art works and enjoys exploring the sounds of found objects as well as those of percussion instruments and electronics. He also performs…
Looking forward to ” ‘Round Midnight with Soweto Kinch”. Part 2: Programme Details – London Jazz News
The radio producer Folded Wing has put out a Press Release ahead of the opening of the new show " 'Round Midnight with Soweto Kinch : Soweto Kinch. Photo Iza Korsak (press release begins) ‘ROUND MIDNIGHT BEGINS APRIL 1st ON BBC RADIO 3 AND ON BBC SOUNDS. Folded Wing’s new week-night jazz show for BBC…
Looking forward to ” ‘Round Midnight with Soweto Kinch”. Part 1: Interview – London Jazz News
BBC Radio 3’s ‘Round Midnight, the new five-nights-a-week show starts on Monday 1 April. Soweto Kinch is the presenter. Interview by Bruce Lindsay ‘Round Midnight, BBC Radio 3’s new late-night jazz show, produced by Folded Wing, begins its five-nights-a-week schedule on 1 April, making it the first BBC jazz radio show to go out every…
Charlie Pyne: new album ‘Nature is a Mother’ – London Jazz News
Bassist/vocalist's second album 'Nature is a Mother' is released on 5 April 2024. It "has evolved out of a need to communicate her responses to the world around her through her maturation as a musician and bandleader. " Interview feature by Lavender Sutton. Charlie Pyne. Photo credit Jack Childs Productions Bass player Charlie Pyne says playing…
Bill Stewart: One of the Great Jazz Drummers – London Jazz News
Bill Stewart, in the trio with Larry Goldings and Peter Bernstein, will be playing in Dorking (16 April) and London (17 & 18 April). Canadian musician writer T Bruce Wittet explores in depth Bill Stewart's sound and influences... L-R: Peter Bernstein, Larry Goldings, Bill Stewart. I have it on good authority that the weather and…
Mondays With Morgan: Dayna Stephens – new album ‘Closer Than We Think’ – London Jazz News
The following is an interview between jazz journalist Morgan Enos and the superlative saxophonist, composer and educator Dayna Stephens. His upcoming album, Closer Than We Think, which releases 5 April via Cellar Music Group, features guitarist Emmanuel Michael, bassist Kanoa Mendenhall, and drummer Jongkuk Kim, with trumpeter Jeremy Pelt on the sixth track, “E.S.P.” L-R:…
Stefano Onorati & Fulvio Sigurtà – ‘Extended Singularity’ – London Jazz News
Stefano Onorati & Fulvio Sigurtà - Extended Singularity(Caligola Records 2346. Album review by Frank Graham) Amongst the many revealing insights in LJN’s recent interview with Fulvio Sigurtà (trumpet, flugelhorn/ link below) were his reflections on Wayne Shorter’s last great quartet (“the quintessence of risk, and therefore the quintessence of trust”). Sigurtà’s affection for the London…
Billy Marrows and A Grande Família: debut album ‘Penelope’ – London Jazz News
Guitarist/composer Billy Marrows recorded his debut album with the 12-piece chamber-jazz ensemble A Grande Família in the summer of 2023 as a surprise for his mother Penny during her struggle with pancreatic cancer. The album was released in her memory at the end of January 2024. All proceeds from the album are going to World…
ECM Luminessence series: ‘Afric Pepperbird’; ‘Luminessence’; ‘Azimuth’ – London Jazz News
ECM Luminessence: Jan Garbarek Quartet: Afric Pepperbird Keith Jarrett, Jan Garbarek: Luminessence John Taylor, Norma Winstone, Kenny Wheeler: AzimuthVinyl Reviews by Phil Johnson ECM’s landmark series of audiophile vinyl releases from their huge back catalogue continues with three new discs, each of which combines historical importance with superb music. They are all, in their different…
Empirical with Jason Rebello – ‘Wonder is the Beginning’ album launch at WHB Embassy Gardens – London Jazz News
Empirical with Jason Rebello - Wonder is the Beginning album launch(World Heart Beat Embassy Gardens, 15 March 2024. Review by Rob Mallows) Empirical. Photo courtesy of World Heart Beat Foundation The jacket which sax player Nathaniel Facey wore at last week's album launch for Empirical's new album Wonder is the Beginning at a packed World Heart Beat Embassy Gardens…
Alex Hitchcock Dream Band at Pizza Express Jazz Club – London Jazz News
Alex Hitchcock Dream Band(PizzaExpress Jazz Club, Soho. 13 March 2024. Sixth night of tour. Review by Tom Step) Dave Adewumi and Alex Hitchcock. Photo courtesy of Alex Hitchcock The colourful abstractions of the Alex Hitchcock Dream Band mesmerised a sold out PizzaExpress on the sole UK date on their Spring tour. English saxophonist, bandleader and…
Mondays With Morgan: Nick Finzer – new album ‘Legacy,’ a tribute to J.J. Johnson – London Jazz News
The following is an interview between jazz journalist Morgan Enos and trombonist, composer, educator, and Outside In Music label founder Nick Finzer. His new album, Legacy, a tribute to the pioneering trombonist J.J. Johnson, will be released 5 April via Outside In. Links to the forthcoming album and to Finzer’s website can be found at…
20 March 2024 – London Jazz News
READ ELSEWHERE Charles Lloyd's new album The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow is John Fordham's album of the month in the Guardian (a 5 star review!) - read more The Jazz Journalists Association has a "Seeing Jazz" music photography round table - read more / register Roger Farbey reviewed Geoff Castle's posthumously released trio…
Chet Baker – ‘Blue Room: The 1979 VARA Studio Sessions in Holland’ – London Jazz News
Chet Baker –Blue Room: The 1979 VARA Studio Sessions in Holland(Jazz Detective. DDJD-007. LP review by Andrew Cartmel) The brainchild of Zev Feldman (see INTERVIEW link below), Jazz Detective is perhaps the best moniker for a record label ever (*). Dedicated to tracking down rare and lost tapes, Jazz Detective has brought to our ears…
Xantoné Blacq and Friends ‘Celebrating Herbie Hancock’. Jazz Café POSK, 23 Mar. – London Jazz News
Composer / producer/vocalist/ multi-instrumentalist Xantoné Blacq and his all-star band including Troy Miller will explore and celebrate the jazz funk music innovations and collaborations of Herbie Hancock @ Jazz Café POSK on Saturday 23rd of March. “The influence of Herbie and 'Head Hunters' on the history of funk and jazz funk cannot be overstated," says…
#IWD 2024: Alejandra López. Part of Part of ‘Giant Steps: #womentothefore’ – London Jazz News
Alejandra López is a Spanish double bass player and composer who, at only 19, is a new talent in improvised music. From a very young age, she was surrounded by a musical family. She completed professional studies in classical piano and double bass, and is currently studying for a higher degree in double bass at…
#IWD2024: Matylda Gerber. Part of ‘Giant Steps: Women to the Fore’ – London Jazz News
Matylda Gerber is not only a saxophonist, composer, member of the bands Ślina and sneaky jesus, co-organiser of the Wrocław Improvised Orchestra, winner of awards from Jazz Forum magazine and the Jazz Association Melomani... she's also a scientist and practitioner, specialising in intuition and its role in decision making. Interview feature by Krzysztof Komorek for…
Spice Jazz Soho to re-locate to Crazy Coqs – London Jazz News
Here is an announcement made earlier today which has appeared on the Brasserie Zedel website: There is more information on the Spice Jazz Soho Facebook page: "SpiceJazz Soho is relocating to Crazy Coqs Piccadilly from Wednesday 3rd April. Changes continue with SpiceJazz Soho! Alongside the move, the founder of SpiceJazz Soho 25 years ago, Paul…
Trish Clowes ‘Journey To Where’ Album Launch at Wigmore Hall – London Jazz News
Trish Clowes(Wigmore Hall. 8 March 2024. Journey To Where Album Launch. Live Review By Tony Dudley-Evans) L-R: Ross Stanley, Trish Clowes, Clare Wheeler, Liz Swain, Tara Minton. Photo credit: Tom Harrison Trish Clowes's Journey To Where (Stoney Lane Records) is a beautiful and thoughtful duo album on which Clowes plays a mixture of jazz and…
Jerry Bergonzi / Bruce Barth Quartet at Pizza Express Dean Street – London Jazz News
Jerry Bergonzi / Bruce Barth Quartet(PizzaExpress Jazz Club. 3 March 2024. Live review by Charles Rees) Bruce Barth & Jerry Bergonzi / Photo by Melody McLaren American tenor saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi is considered to be one of the great saxophonists of the post-Coltrane generation, as well as one of the most distinguished educators in modern…
Moment’s Notice: New Season starts 27 March. First album ’44:42′ released on Red Dust – London Jazz News
“Infinite possibilities”: the creator of a pioneering improvised music night in London is launching a new record label documenting great performances. George Nelson talks to John Bungey Danalogue and Yelfris Valdes. Photo credit George Nelson George Nelson's monthly Moment's Notice night could be London jazz's greatest high-wire act. The creator-curator invites five musicians, who may…