Sebastian writes: Michael Janisch’s label Whirlwind Recordings will be 10 years old in 2020. As a “pre-celebration” the label has launched a special edition of ten issues on vinyl. A pre-order period […]
Ten vinyl releases from Whirlwind Recordings
The precarious British jazz world
Sebastian’s London Column, just published in the new September/October 2019 edition of the German magazine Jazzthetik, concerns the unpredictable and changing circumstances that affect jazz festivals in England, and the way organizers […]
Woody Herman’s Four Brothers Reunion featuring Frank Tiberi and James Pearson Trio (Pizza Express Jazz Club 12 – 15 Sept)
Why was the sound of the Woody Herman Band’s Four Brothers so special – revolutionary even – and why does it still thrill today? With an exclusive Woody Herman’s Four Brothers Reunion happening […]
Emily Saunders (new single All As One – The Other Palace, 29 Aug)
Emily Saunders has a new single out and will be launching it as well as previewing her next album, Broken, in a series of performances in September and October. But before that […]
Quentin Collins: new sextet album, Road Warrior, and tour
Quentin Collins releases a new album, Road Warrior, on Friday 13 September. It’s an album that reflects on the trumpeter’s 25 years playing jazz and celebrates all the musicians out there who […]
Memories and Tributes: Duncan Lamont
The loss last month of a major figure in British jazz, saxophonist and composer DUNCAN LAMONT, is keenly felt. Daniela Clynes, who was one of the four singers who performed at the […]
A lesson with Dave Smith
Drummer Dave Smith’s career as a professional musician has been wide-ranging by any standards. He has had several extended stays in Senegal and the Gambia, and absorbed the Sabar tradition, and also […]
Ron Davis (SymphRONica, Edinburgh Fringe, 6-24 Aug)
Canadian pianist Ron Davis has chosen the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as the European launch pad for his band SymphRONica’s latest album, UpfRONt. SymphRONica combines a jazz quartet with a string quartet and Rob Adams spoke […]
Buster Birch (New series: Beginner Jazz Soloing)
Buster Birch seems to be turning into one of the busiest jazz educators on the planet. He has as a new series of jazz guides and answered a few questions from Peter […]
Spirit Fingers – Interview plus review (Ronnie Scott’s 25 July, Hampstead 26/27 July)
Rob Mallows, for LondonJazz News, met up with the members of Spirit Fingers at the start of a mini-heatwave in London. The music later that night at Pizza Express Holborn matched the weather! The band […]
Brad Shepik (UK trio dates with Calum Gourlay & James Maddren, 9-12 August)
He works incredibly hard, leaps into any situation he likes the sound of, has played in the bands of Dave Douglas and Paul Motian, and is making a rare visit to the […]
Chrissie Hynde – a new jazzy direction?
The icon of rock and pop music announced some time ago that she was working on a jazz cover album together with a mysterious The Valve Bone Woe Ensemble. Then, at the […]
Scottish harpist Karen Marshalsay (new CD The Road to Kennacraig)
Scottish harper Karen Marshalsay releases The Road to Kennacraig, an album of traditional Scottish music and her own tunes written in traditional forms, on Monday 15 July. This might seem an odd […]
Clark Tracey and Herts Jazz Festival (27-29 September)
Under the leadership of drummer Clark Tracey, Herts Jazz has become one of the strongest in the British, volunteer-run jazz club circuit. Tracey spoke to John Fordham about how the club developed […]
A Lesson With Asaf Sirkis
“Singing is an inside-out learning process. It’s giving a voice to something that is already inside of you. In the 25 years I’ve been teaching. I’ve never seen two students use the […]
