A persistent breeze dispersed any accumulating haze, but the Truman Brewery courtyard nonetheless stank of cigarettes. Even in the early afternoon, a line stretched from the outdoor bar and towers of identically branded beer cups dotted picnic tables like wasp [...]
I cannot remember any living songwriting collaborators who have brought me more pleasure than Georgia Mancio (lyrics) and Alan Broadbent (composer). It was a bright, Spring day in Stapleford, and one could bask in the rich, varied music. Working on [...]
The following is an interview between jazz journalist Morgan Enos and Israel-born, New York-based guitarist/composer Gilad Hekselman. His new album with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Marcus Gilmore, Downhill From Here, was released 25 April via La Reserve Records. Links [...]
Bremen’s annual trade fair + conference + showcase festival (all rolled into one) has the vibe of a vast and friendly family gathering. A lot of effort goes in to making that vibe, that buzz, that energy – both from [...]
UK Saxophonist Dan Forshaw is renowned for captivating performances and dynamic stage presence. His global career spans big bands, jazz quartets, and collaborations with cathedral choirs, thrilling audiences worldwide. A sought-after educator, Dan teaches saxophone at the University of Cambridge [...]
A real curiosity, this. Mack Avenue’s first fruit of releases from their rights to the Strata-East catalogue includes the above-named 1974 New York studio date by the estimable Monk sideman-saxophonist Charlie Rouse (note he’s called Charles here). He’s playing with [...]
Prior to this evening’s show, my last encounter with the Neil Cowley Trio had been here, at the 2017 Gateshead International Jazz Festival. A very Janus-like performance, the first set was a track-by-track walk through of new album “Spacebound Apes”, [...]
Attendees were in awe as Alice Zawadzki’s voice soared into the air of Camden’s KOKO during the first live performance at the 2025 Jazz FM Awards with PRS and PPL. Joined by Fred Thomas on piano and Misha Mullov-Abbado on [...]
The Glasgow Jazz Festival is back from Wednesday 18 June – Sunday 22 June 2025. As always, the festival packs a lot of international and local punch into its modest timeline, from Santana to the Glasgow Composers Orchestra. Patrick Hadfield [...]
It’s early in the morning, this brain hasn’t had coffee and isn’t fully in gear yet, but I need to explain how some impeccably logical thinking came to fruition last night. Here goes: Theatre from the British Isles has a [...]
The glorious waves of the music furiously swirled and crashed around me, stirring all my senses and sending my spirits soaring. I thought: “This must be what white water rafting is like.” The Double Quartet of saxophonist and composer Paul [...]
As a major figure in the jazz firmament, Joe Lovano brings all the treasures of his vast experience to this excellent album, and also seems to have reached that stage in his career where purposeful improvisation combines with the ability [...]
Irish bass player Ronan Guilfoyle has created for himself a unique position in jazz, although in something of a special niche. He has taken an instrument that’s only rarely seen in a jazz context and he’s made it his own, and [...]
Sebastian writes: Nick Smart sent me some intriguing news: John McLaughlin has invited Royal Academy of Music students to fly out to Monaco and to appear with him at La Note Bleue on 11 May 2025, as part of his [...]
Tonight, 24 April 2025, at Koko in Camden Town, the winners of the 2025 Jazz FM Awards were announced – we also list the nominees. UKJN will have a report on the night later… UK Jazz Act of the Year Sponsored [...]
A very quick early-morning perusal of the 2025 BBC Proms programme and I find…. Sat 19 Jul 2025 – 19:00 – Royal Albert Hall – Samara JoyThe Great American Songbook and Beyond with Samara Joy with the BBC Concert Orchestra [...]
With her first album – the immense 14-track Yellow – South London multi-instrumentalist/vocalist/songwriter Emma-Jean Thackray marked the emergence of The New Wave Of British Jazz in 2021, one of the most interesting movements of the last few decades. After her [...]
Grégory Privat is arguably the most prominent pianist on the current French jazz scene, and a distinctive voice in contemporary jazz. He was recently in London as part of Lars Danielsson’s group Liberetto. His Phoenix Trio make their London debut [...]
Dick Esmond became an early and enthusiastic jazz fan and especially of big band jazz, and having started to play the drums he began to follow various bands, including the Ted Heath Orchestra in particular, when he also got to [...]
If you happen to be the world’s biggest jazz trade fair in Bremen this week…. come and meet members of the UK Jazz News team. Stop by and say hi at stand 6A30. Romy Summers is our advertising manager. She [...]
It’s been twelve years since vocalist Georgia Mancio and pianist Alan Broadbent began to collaborate as performers and songwriters. As well as numerous live shows, the collaboration has produced three albums: Songbook in 2017, Quiet is the Star in 2021 [...]
The following is jazz journalist Morgan Enos’s interview with pianist and electronicist Vijay Iyer and trumpeter and composer Wadada Leo Smith. Their second duo album, Defiant Life, was released 21 March via ECM Records. Links to purchase the album, and [...]
Fini Bearman’s fifth studio album, Last Night of the World, features ten original songs performed by the singer and songwriter in the company of some of the finest UK-based musicians. It’s a highly melodic recording, packed with memorable tunes, from [...]
American pianist Noah Haidu is an in-demand pianist who gained the attention of the jazz world through live appearances and recordings with heavyweights such as Mike Stern, Ambrose Akinmusire, Jon Irabagon, Vincent Herring, Eddie Henderson, and Duane Eubanks. He has [...]
As a Cheltenham girl born and bred, I am totally committed to my home town and to the wonderful local community who continue to support me on my ongoing ‘journey’ as a jazz musician. It has been a long time [...]
This striking new quintet sport an ambitious name, and while it’s not stated what it is they are transcending, their debut gig certainly showed that they have a lot to offer. You’d know that from the personnel, all richly experienced [...]
Paris-based vocalist Gabi Hartmann – who is set to be one of the stars of the Grand Opening concert at jazzahead! 2025 – emerged two years ago with her eponymous debut album which was acclaimed for its inventive breadth and [...]
Ronny Graupe is a German guitarist, originally from Chemnitz (aka Karl-Marx-Stadt) in the former GDR, who studied in Leipzig from where he paid a short visit to Birmingham in the early 2000s with a young group as part of a [...]
Ahead of the Jazz FM Awards ceremony next Thursday 24 April at Koko in Camden, the organisers have announced all three of the special or non-competitive awards, recognising “individuals who have not only shaped jazz history but continue to inspire [...]
The picturesque ski resort of Vossevangen near Bergen has just a few thousand inhabitants. And yet it hosts several significant cultural events – including a jazz festival which celebrated its 50th edition two years ago. This year’s event – traditionally [...]
Mingus lives. But what lives on in the Mingus Big Band? Is it his music…or his spirit? The right answer is probably both. That the two are inextricably linked, and can’t be separated. That was powerfully demonstrated by the final [...]
The following is an interview between jazz journalist Morgan Enos and jazz pianist, organist, composer, and arranger Larry Goldings. His new album, I Will, featuring bassist Karl McComas-Reichl and drummer Christian Euman, was released 14 February via Sam First Records. [...]
