London Jazz News

Here is a pdf of December Downbeat. Complete with this year’s poll-winners. It’s a big file (which came through to me via Twitter and Facebook) and takes time to load.The poll winners […]

It wasn’t very Islington. You could sense a deep intake of breath as a smart Friday-night Kings Place full house caught its first sight of Antonello Salis (photo credit : Fabio Presutti). […]

Giulia y Los Tellarini plus the Bright-Size Gypsies(Purcell Room, London Jazz Festival, November 19th 2009, review of the Bright-Size Gypsies by Rob Mallows)Simon Harris and The Bright Size Gypsies (photo above in […]

A Led Bib set list. Ink on toilet paper, 2009.*Possibly – for whoever owns it- a collector’s item already. Because, as Music Week reported yesterdayMercury Prize nominees Led Bib are joining Faber […]

Review : London Jazz Collective(London Jazz Festival, Spice of Life, November 15th 2009, Review by Luke Pinkstone)If I’d been looking for a gig to pace myself gently into the London Jazz Festival, […]

Review: Sheila Jordan 81st birthday gig(Bull’s Head, London Jazz Festival, November 18th 2009, review by Georgia Mancio)“It’s quite something to stand up and convey a song. It looks easy…,” mused a member […]

An opinion piece from Peter Slavid, who asks critics to be more critical, and to stop giving out five stars to everything:I’m getting a bit fed up with reading all the superlative […]

Review:John Surman(Queen Elizabeth Hall, London Jazz Festival, November 18th 2009, review by Patrick Hadfield)The celebration of John Surman ’s 65 years was a gig of two halves. Surman played support to his […]

Gwilym Simcock is busy….He will be giving the London premiere of his choral commission “I Prefer the Gorgeous Freedom” this Saturday 21st in the Queen Elizabeth Hall at 2pm. It had a […]

Review: Carla Bley’s Lost Chords plus Julian Siegel Trio(Queen Elizabeth Hall, London Jazz Festival, November 17th 2009)I definitely feel the need to spare the reader today, to distil the strongest impressions from […]

There’s a sense of sadness and of shock in the UK jazz community at the sudden passing, on Monday, of bassist Jeff Clyne. One of those omnipresent, irreplaceable figures in British jazz […]

Review: Melody Gardot(Royal Festival Hall, London Jazz Festival, November 15th 2009, review by Alison Hoblyn)Melody Gardot’s lateness antagonised the Royal Festival Hall audience.But Melody Gardot – gradually – won over writer Alison […]

Branford Marsalis Quartet(Queen Elizabeth Hall, London Jazz Festival, November 15th 2009)Branford Marsalis ‘ Quartet has been out on the road for a couple of months now. Last night at the Queen Elizabeth […]

Congratulations to Courtney Pine, who collects his CBE from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace later today.Which has absolutely nothing to do with this late work by German expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938)

Review: Robert Glasper Trio, feat. Bilal Oliver(Queen Elizabeth Hall, London Jazz Festival, November 15th 2009, Review by Peter Horsfall)A packed Queen Elizabeth Hall last night played host to one of the Blue […]