The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra has commissioned compositions from some of Scotland’s most exciting young jazz musicians for a series of concerts running in Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow from 31 January to 2 February. Nu-Age Sounds – Planet World follows [...]
We are very sad to hear of the death yesterday of an important figure in British music, pianist/composer/arranger/ music director Laurie Holloway at the age of 86. Our condolences to his daughters Abigail – a consistent friend and wonderful supporter [...]
This is a hugely enjoyable album from three outstanding musicians. Drummer Carl Allen calls on double bassist Christian McBride and saxophonist Chris Potter to help him make an album that he would most like to hear as a listener. This [...]
It’s a fair bet that Thelonious Monk is the most performed jazz composer. Who else might be in the running? Ellington, of course. Gershwin, perhaps. Maybe Wayne Shorter, more recently. But for a composer for all occasions – to make [...]
It was cold and wet tonight on Southend seafront, but I found a warm & welcoming Georgian lounge which resounds to live jazz from local & national musicians every week. And to my delight, the 6-piece Mandala were playing some [...]
‘Epic’ is an over-used description and I’m embarrassed to employ it, yet no word is more appropriate to describe Mosaic’s latest limited-edition release. Because this venture is epic in historical context. Epic in scale. Epic in talent and execution. Epic [...]
Nordsnø Ensemble are an intriguing proposition. An award-winning Octet based in Germany – they fuse contemporary jazz with the influence of Scandinavian folkloric tradition. On this, their third full-length album, they team up with British pianist and organist Kit Downes, [...]
The Revisions series presented by the Anaklasis label presents music by outstanding composers, artists who emphasise experimentation, transgression, and subversion. The latest project, Laeta Mundus, is another intriguing meeting of artistic worlds, juxtaposing jazz, contemporary music and historical repertoire from [...]
This is a brief, highly subjective (and not always completely serious) set of personal impressions of a great festival which happens right at the beginning of the year (*) A is for audience. I can’t help wanting to start this [...]
Any programme curated by Nod Knowles will delight and surprise in equal measure, and the Bath Jazz Weekend’s 2025 edition was no exception. Performances that drew explicitly on folk traditions ran like a thick seam through the programme, intertwined with [...]
The Jazz Repertory Company returns to Cadogan Hall with one of its most popular shows: Benny Goodman’s 1938 Carnegie Hall concert. Goodman finished his Carnegie Hall concert with a very extended version of perhaps the most popular tune of the swing [...]
The following is an interview between jazz journalist Morgan Enos and baritone saxophonist, composer, and arranger Ryan Middagh. Tenor Madness, his new album with the Ryan Middagh Orchestra, will be released 10 January via Ear Up Records. The album features [...]
Alto saxophonist Will Vinson hails from England but established a great many of his musical collaborations while living in New York City. He has appeared and/or recorded with Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ari Hoenig, Jonathan Kreisberg, Marcus Gilmore, Chris Potter, [...]
Trumpeter James Davison and Trombonist Callum Au teamed up to recreate the iconic quintet set up of Clark Terry and Bob Brookmeyer in their cleverly named band Quintet-à-Tête at the 606 Club on the first Saturday night of 2025. Clark [...]
Art Mead was one of the unsung heroes of British jazz, one of the many behind-the-scenes supporters of the art form who make the jazz scene as vibrant as it is in spite of the cultural establishment. It’s an honour [...]
The track “Meet Me on the Midway” from “Little Big Top” (Motéma) feels like such a good place to be starting the year. Accordionist/composer Guy Klucevsek describes the track as “A tribute to the Slovenian-American polka tradition I grew up [...]
Huge congratulations to a pivotal figure in jazz in Northern Ireland, Dr Linley Hamilton, on being awarded an MBE in the 2025 New Year’s Honours List.
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With their vibrant and versatile take on piano driven contemporary jazz, the Ilario Ferrari Trio has been wowing audiences and critics alike with the lively compositions taken from their latest album Above The Clouds – released by Elsden Music. On [...]
The following is jazz journalist Morgan Enos’s interview with pianist and composer Renee Rosnes. Her latest album, Crossing Paths, was released 6 December via Smoke Sessions Records. Crossing Paths features saxophonist Chris Potter, trombonist Steve Davis, bassist John Patitucci, and [...]
Cat Toren is a pianist, improviser and composer, originally from North Vancouver, Canada. A JUNO Award-winner and Western Canadian Music Award-winner, she has performed throughout North America and been commissioned by the Cassatt String Quartet and the nonet, Orkestra Futura. [...]
Musicians remember bassist Barre Phillips, who died this weekend at the age of 90. Evan Parker writes “Barre was a wise head and a great bass player and I was privileged to play with him.” From a younger generation, French [...]
Oliver Weindling reports from the Rencontres AJC, where a new cohort of Jazz Migration bands was showcased, and a cross-border initiative “Jazz With” was launched. The Annual Meeting in Paris of AJC (Association Jazz Croisé) includes two nights of performances. [...]
Oliver Weindling reports from having spent three evenings in succession at Porgy and Bess club in Vienna. He writes: An eclectic three days at Porgy and Bess in Vienna, proving how it’s a venue really at the peak of the [...]
Full Cream – an album between Greg Ward on alto saxophone and Moog; Leo Genovese on Hammond B-3, piano, and synths; Matthew Stevens on guitar and electric bass; and Ziv Ravitz on drums – was released 1 November via Ward’s [...]
Dermot Rogers tells the story of how he relaunched Ireland’s first jazz label Livia Records, and discovered a trove of landmark recordings by Irish guitar legend Louis Stewart. Several have been remastered and reissued, with recordings from other notable Irish [...]
Harry Mitchell is an Australian pianist and composer. He was named Young Australian Jazz Musician of the Year at the 2017 Australian Bell Jazz Awards and the following year he won the West Australian Music (WAM) award for Best Pianist. [...]
Latvian guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Reinis Jaunais is a restless wanderer who has taken his dextrous acoustic guitar-playing all over Europe, across Asia and to Australia and beyond. He’s a musical magpie, who takes in a myriad of influences from his [...]
This intriguing album came about as a result of drummer/percussionist Thomas Strönen having time at the end of a recording session to record a series of percussion and drum solos. It was at the time of the Covid pandemic so, on the advice [...]
When I reviewed the first of these shows in 2016, I wrote: “Whisper it quietly, but this could just possibly be the start of a new tradition.” Phew. Got one right. The whole event has a winning formula, it attracts [...]
The Grassroots Jazz Charity currently has a raffle, with seven prizes on offer including: The raffle will close on Monday, 13 January 2025 at 19:27 – or when the last ticket is sold (whichever is sooner) 100% of proceeds go [...]
The sad news of Ustad Zakir Hussain’s passing has left the musical and cultural world in profound shock and sorrow. The son of the late, great Ustad Alla Rakha, Zakir Ji carried forward his father’s legacy with extraordinary brilliance, while [...]
The East London Community Band (ELCB) is a volunteer-run charity that gives musicians of any age, ability or instrument the chance to play music: from jazz, to early music, to classical. To celebrate their 50th anniversary they performed a multi-media [...]
