When I first met the singer and actor Jacqui Dankworth on a story for Jazz UK magazine in 2004, I have a suspicion I’d already mentally sketched the arc of a moving tale about a quietly eloquent performer searching for [...]
“It feels like a celebration to me!” says bassist Alison Rayner of her quintet ARQ’s new album ‘SEMA4’. As jazz decades go, the 1980s was a pretty good one – not least for the return of Miles Davis from a [...]
From early childhood, Misha Mullov-Abbado felt he had one destiny in his life. He was born to two international classical celebrities (Russian violinist Viktoria Mullova and superstar conductor Claudio Abbado), and music filled his childhood homes and dominated his education [...]
Album titles can be anything from poetic to enigmatic to downright baffling, but Chris Sansom‘s October release Unfinished Business gets straight to the point. It’s the long-postponed completion of a fascinating musical adventure, abandoned 50 years ago and brought back [...]
The early jazz music of legendary composer Sir Karl Jenkins will feature at this year’s Swansea International Jazz Festival as part of his 80th birthday year celebrations. Sir Karl, who is also Patron of the Festival, has, together with bassist [...]
“A really nice, cohesive feeling; Dave [Whitford] and Tim [Giles] are a great rhythm section,” says pianist Richard Fairhurst. Fairhurst’s new trio album ‘Inside Out’ is released by Ubuntu Music on 14 June. The trio tours the UK from June, [...]
Reeds player and composer Tim Garland‘s career has spanned 33 years, and his creativity shows no sign of letting up. Three years in the making, his newest album Moment of Departure will be released via Ubuntu records on 3 May, [...]
French horn player Jim Rattigan’s new release, the 3-CD box set “Duos” – also featuring pianists Ivo Neame and Hans Koller, and guitarist Nick Costley-White – will be released on 20 October and launched at Pizza Express Jazz Club, Dean [...]
“You choose the songs you love doing… I love the whole spectrum, swing, ballads, bossa nova, everything.” says Netherlands-born singer Wilma Baan. Her new album has a fascinating backstory. Wilma Baan, the Netherlands-born jazz singer, is in the prime of [...]
