London Jazz News

The barlines in John Dankworth ‘s 1950’s arrangement of Gershwin’s S’Wonderful, are quick and nimble. They flash past, like fence-posts seen from a high speed train. This action-packed arrangement was not only […]

I’m off tomorrow to hear a British jazz showcase at the Banlieue Blues Festival in Paris. The link has a list of the bands playing. It’s organized by Jazz Services, with help […]

Jazz on Radio 4. Follow this link to hear singer/trumpeter Sue Richardson on Womans Hour from yesterday, Tuesday 23rd. The ten minute clip including a song played live starts from 24:50. Richardson […]

I have seen the future. It’s here already. It’s a vending machine where you can literally buy memory. But for those of you in jazz whose brains remain sharp, there can only […]

I’m just getting over the idea that Harry Webb, better known as Cliff Richard, will be celebrating the 70th anniversary of his birth in Lucknow in October 1940 by putting out an […]

Guildhall School Jazz Tutors Concert(First night of the GSMD Annual Jazz Festival, Concert Hall, GSMD, Silk Street EC2, March 22nd 2010) Bassist Jeff Clyne, who died unexpectedly four months ago, had played […]

Haiti Benefit(Vortex, March 18th 2010, Review and photo of Christine Tobin and Dave Whitford by Patrick Hadfield) Kevin Le Gendre, the journalist and presenter who had organised the Vortex’s benefit for Haiti […]

Something different for a Saturday night. No blood, no screaming ambulances. Tuba player and producer Oren Marshall (above) teams up with conga player Maurizio Ravalico for a live radio broadcast on Joe […]

This music must keep people young and optimistic. Or there is something special in the water in Wandsworth. The drummer in Digby Fairweather’s quartet with whom I guested for a couple of […]

Spot the location. This is Ian Shaw performing at the Oxford Union , (photo credit: Barker Evans) where so many of our politicians learnt their…er….craft, with Janette Mason at last year’s (inaugural) […]

Charlie Gillett died last week, and both the man and his career were celebrated in a number of the broadsheets and indeed, by the BBC, for whom he had worked consistently over […]

There are two sides to a story like this. But read this graphic account from the San Jose Mercury of Keith Jarrett taking on the coughers -and getting heckled back – in […]

This weekend seems to have nothing but good things. -Alyn Shipton is presenting his choice of the finest of Ornette Coleman in celebration of Coleman’s 80th this afternoon on Jazz Library -I’m […]

Louis Sclavis Quintet(Kings Place, March 19th 2010) The quintet with which Louis Sclavis has recorded his fifth album for ECM, and which he brought to Kings Place last night as part of […]

Booking for Australian band The Necks’ June 26th gig at the Barbican opened yesterday. The gig is selling well. As a preview of the gig, Geoffrey Winston has reviewed their CD Silverwater […]