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This Proms concert was dedicated to the songs on the three albums that Nick Drake recorded in his short life. It was a fitting tribute to the legacy of his music, 50 years on from his death at the age of 26, [...]
Allow me to suggest why this album, so extrovert, exuberant and life-enhancing, carries a poignant postscript. Sometime during 1968, 70-year-old Louis (always ‘Lewis’, not ‘Lou-ee’) Daniel Armstrong, internationally celebrated as ‘Satchmo’, is warned by doctors that he’s no longer superhuman [...]
Alto saxophonist Sam Braysher has a liking for the less familiar work of the American Songbook composers, a body of music that’s seldom performed in the twenty-first century and rarely heard played by jazz musicians. This doesn’t mean that it [...]
First night in Buxton, and a double bill of Madeline Bell and Judi Jackson. Having interviewed Judi Jackson prior to the Festival (link below), I could already visualise what to expect: barefoot in the likeness of her idol Nina Simone, [...]
South Africa has become a reliable source of emergent jazz talent in the last few years. Blue Note records’ fabled roster now includes artists such as saxophonist Linda Sikhakhane and pianist Nduduzo Makhathini. UK-based players like Shabaka Hutchings have sought [...]
I have heard Brigitte Beraha twice in the past few weeks, and can’t help feeling that there is something special going on: if such a thing as perfect singing exists, Brigitte Beraha, on her own terms, is surely getting even [...]
After Ralf Dombrowski’s report of the opening weekend of Suedtirol Festival 2024, Oliver Weindling reports on its closing days Oliver Weindling writes: Suedtirol Festival’s change of artistic directors, from Klaus Widmann, to the present triumvirate of Max von Prest, Roberto [...]
Two years ago, the Fergus McCreadie Octet was the outstanding gig of the 2022 Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival. So when they commissioned new work from McCreadie for this year’s festival, expectations were running high. McCreadie and the octet didn’t [...]
Artists/bands covered: Live Nation’s NN North Sea Jazz Festival (NSJ) had noticeably fewer jazz ‘superstars’ on offer this year. Nevertheless, the continued embarrassment of riches, provided plenty of highlights to impress both casual NSJ ‘newbies’ and festival old hands alike. [...]
Roll back the carpet while you roll back the years: here’s ‘Swingin’ Uptown’, an album of sole (please excuse the pun) music, 16 tracks dedicated to transmitting the beat to your feet. Eyal Vilner has meticulously assembled various iterations of [...]
