The critic’s first duty in reviewing a record, book or other artwork is to explain for the reader what the work is and how it might be approached. Her/his second duty is to assess its value in the contexts of [...]
Sitarist Tommy Khosla formed JAWARI a couple of years ago. Since then, this multinational, multi-stylistic group has been establishing an audience drawn from different communities ethnically, culturally and musically. Defining the group’s music is not easy, though the influences of [...]
Tony Haynes’ recent death at 83 is a loss on so many levels – a loss to family, friends and colleagues but also to the diverse musical communities of East London whom he served with such passion. Haynes’ achievements deserve [...]
The closing event of the Grand Union Orchestra’s week-long series of Windrush 75 events is the premiere of “Unforgotten Voyages” on Sunday 25 June at Hackney Empire. How do you tell the story of a truly momentous but misunderstood and [...]
Gioachino Rossini danced with the Count – Basie that is, not Almaviva – on this Autumn evening in Cambridge. It is thirty years since Westbrook’s Big Band Rossini featured at the BBC Proms and another eight since his settings from [...]
Hans Koller is one of the most accomplished composer/arrangers on the UK scene today. Had he been around in the late ’60s, he would have a clutch of Derams to his name and be celebrated as a major figure in [...]
(NB: Booking link for London Premiere below) Award-winning editor and filmmaker Cath Longbottom’s film of Howard Riley is a delight. Just thirty minutes in length, it succeeds in capturing something of the essence of this remarkable musician and conveying what [...]
For forty years, the Grand Union Orchestra has been telling stories of migration, of war, of change and hope. For each one of those years, GUO has been building its own audience and constituency across the UK. Its music and [...]
