Alex Hitchcock – Dream Band: Live In London (Whirlwind Recordings. WR4815. Three-CD set. Album Review by Patrick Hadfield) At first glance, it might seem that tenor saxophonist and composer Alex Hitchcock has pulled together […]
David Preston – Purple / Black Vol. One (Whirlwind Recordings – WR4804. Album review by Graham Spry) Guitarist David Preston has assembled an excellent quartet here, comprising Kevin Glasgow (electric bass), Sebastian […]
Lucia Cadotsch – Aki (Heartcore Records HCR21. Album review by Jon Turney) The recording debut of a superb new quartet – Aki is the name of the band and the CD title […]
Lizz Wright; Kit Downes Deadeye; Laura Jurd ensemble. (Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Sunday April 30 23. Review by Jon Turney) Sunday afternoon (just) in Cheltenham, and it’s Lizz Wright’s turn to comment on […]
Sebastian Rochford – A Short Diary (ECM 2749. Album Review by Patrick Hadfield) Sebastian Rochford is perhaps best known for having been the driving force behind the iconoclastic band Polar Bear; his […]
The church organ was the very first instrument on which Kit Downes learned to play music. It was during his time as a chorister at Norwich Cathedral. Recently moved to Berlin, he […]
Reinier Baas/Jonas Burgwinkel/Kit Downes – Deadeye (Dox Records DOX633. Album review by Tony Dudley-Evans) We tend to associate the Hammond Organ with the soul jazz and jazz rock of the 1960s and […]
(XJAZZ! Berlin. 4-8 May 2022. Preview by Izzy Blankfield) Berlin is a city constantly in flux, and its jazz scene is no different. This year’s XJAZZ! Festival – taking place from 4 […]
Koma Saxo with Sofia Jernberg – Koma West(We Jazz Records. Review by Tony Dudley-Evans) Petter Eldh must be one of the most versatile, and indeed most brilliant, musicians in Europe. He is Swedish, but studied […]
Kit Downes, Petter Eldh, James Maddren – Vermillion (ECM Records 3880001. Album review by Tony Dudley-Evans) Vermillion is Kit Downes‘ third album as leader on ECM, the first being his church organ […]
After last year’s enforced cancellation, the Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music is back, and for London residents with an adventurous bent, it’s definitely worth the three-hour train journey to see […]
Sebastian looks forward to Ongemang – Exploring the Spaces in Between. This is a premiere performance at Cafe OTO on 8 July, with Kit Downes, Lauren Kinsella and Tom Challenger, and is […]
Matthew Halpin – Agreements (Frutex Tracks FT012 – Album Review by Peter Slavid) Matthew Halpin is a saxophonist, composer and a powerful and imaginative improviser, born in Dublin and now based in […]
Miracle on 34th Street (Kansas Smitty’s film score livestreamed 24 December HERE. Review by Leah Williams) The much-loved and irrepressible Kansas Smitty’s band continue to be hugely creative with online formats: just […]
Live jazz looks likely to make a triumphant return to the North West in January 2021 courtesy of NQ Jazz. Since their inception in 2015, the Manchester-based live music promoters have hosted […]
