(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 […]
XJAZZ! Festival 2022, Berlin – (4 to 8 May)
Koma Saxo with Sofia Jernberg – ‘Koma West’
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’
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 […]
Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music 2021 (30 Sep – 3 Oct)
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 […]
‘Ongemang – Exploring the Spaces in Between’ – (Cafe OTO / Spitalfields Festival, 8 July)
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’
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 […]
Kansas Smitty’s play live to ‘Miracle on 34th Street’
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 […]
NQ Jazz, Manchester, announces 2021 season (starts 11 Jan with Soweto Kinch)
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 […]
Lucia Cadotsch – ‘Speak Low II’
Lucia Cadotsch – Speak Low II (We Jazz Records. CD review by Jon Turney) Swiss vocalist Lucia Cadotsch delivers the least ornamented treatments of songs you may ever hear. Like a writing […]
Golden Age of Steam – ‘Tomato Brain’
Golden Age of Steam – Tomato Brain (NOISE Records LTNO 13. Review by Tony Dudley-Evans) The music of James Allsopp’s Golden Age of Steam has been described as ‘abstract electronica meets radical […]
Tim Garland (Winter Encounters series – first session with Norma Winstone + Kit Downes 6 Dec)
“We should be celebrating the shared values of music-making together – this is everything to do with dialogue and listening and also the emotional commitment,” says Tim Garland of the first of […]
A Jazz Musician’s Guide to the 2020 EFG London Jazz Festival
Last year, Sam Leak wrote a Jazz Musician’s Guide to the festival (link below) in which he played the role of ‘in-the-know’ tour guide, helping readers to navigate their way through the […]
Chris Montague – “Warmer than Blood”
Chris Montague – Warmer than Blood (Whirlwind WR4756. CD Review by Jon Turney) Guitarist Chris Montague’s first recording as leader is a very considered affair: the very opposite of a blowing session. He […]
Kit Downes (new album Dreamlife of Debris, now out on ECM)
Pianist, organist and composer Kit Downes has just released Dreamlife of Debris, his second album as leader on ECM Records. He spoke to Peter Bacon about the preceding musical journey and the churches […]
