Mary James writes: The upcoming fifth edition of the Seifert Competition brings together ten violinists from Poland, France, Portugal, the United States and Brazil. Since its inception in 2014 more than 200 […]
Violinist Faith Brackenbury continues her collaboration with avant garde free jazz drummer Tony Bianco with the release of a new double album ‘Wayward Mystic’, improvisations on the music of St. Hildegard von […]
Mary James looks forward to Empirical at the Wiltshire Music Centre in Bradford-on-Avon. She writes: Wiltshire Music Centre in Bradford-on-Avon kicks off its 2022 spring/summer season with Empirical on Saturday 29 January […]
Guy Barker is returning to the Royal Albert Hall this December for the sixth year of his Big Band Christmas, and it’s back to full capacity. Interview by Mary James LondonJazz News: […]
Walking the Changes: Legends of Double Bass in Jazz (Film documentary directed and produced by Nick Wells. Review by Mary James) A labour of love, almost by definition, takes a long time […]
Brad Mehldau and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra – Variations on a Melancholy Theme (Nonesuch Records. Album review by Mary James) Imagine if Brahms woke up one day and had the blues, Brad Mehldau […]
NEWS This year’s Jazz Juniors Competition will take place on 6 October 2021 in Kraków. It is now open for entries until 31 August 2021. Mary James writes: The prestigious Jazz Juniors […]
Matthew Wright – ‘Jazz and Cricket – an unlikely combination’(Cadillac Music & Publishing. 75pp. Book review by Mary James) Jazz and cricket may seem an unlikely combination – the former conjures up […]
Stephan Braun and Mateusz Smoczyński – Keep on Turnin’ (Seifert Foundation CD-FZS-6. CD review by Mary James) Keep on Turnin’ is an apt title for an album released during the global pandemic; […]
Johannes Dickbauer and Youenn Rohaut were both awarded Second Prize in the 4th Zbigniew Seifert Jazz Violin Competition. There was no First Prize winner. This year the competition was held online, 8-10 […]
Dave Storey Trio – Jouska (Impossible Ark Records IALP 026. Download review by Mary James) In the Icelandic language there are 46 words for snow. In English we have just one. So […]
Mary James writes: Usually the auditions and finals of the Seifert Jazz Violin Competition take place in the beautiful surroundings of the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music in Lusławice, Poland, but […]
Jean-Louis Matinier and Kevin Seddiki – Rivages (ECM 0864800. CD review by Mary James) If you articulate the word “Rivages” aloud you breathe in and then out, gently and naturally. And so […]
Pianists Nick Tomalin and Simon Whiteside have recently created a podcast series about Sonny Clark. They tell Mary James what it’s all about. London Jazz News: Can you tell us how you […]
Mary James writes: The fourth Zbigniew Seifert International Jazz Violin Competition will be held in Lusławice, Poland, from 7-10 July 2020. The competition is open to violinists, violists and cellists of all […]
