The Herts Jazz Festival returns in October, running from Friday 15 to Sunday 17. Preview by Peter Vacher: Oh, to be in Bishops Stortford at festival time. Well, that’s what it feels […]
Herts Jazz Festival (15-17 October 2021)
Peter Vacher (Jazz Advisor to new documentary “Count Basie Through His Own Eyes” – BBC Four, 23 October)
William James “Count” Basie (1904-1984) was one of the supreme jazz bandleaders in the great days of swing. A new 75-minute documentary about him, Count Basie Through His Own Eyes, will receive […]
Teodross Avery – “Harlem Stories: The Music of Thelonious Monk”
Teodross Avery – Harlem Stories: The Music of Thelonious Monk (WJ3 1024. CD Review by Peter Vacher) This is the ninth ‘name’ album released by 47-year old Californian tenor saxophonist Teodross Avery; […]
Geoff Mason Quartet – “GMQ”
Geoff Mason Quartet – GMQ (GM Records. CD review by Peter Vacher) Self-produced, with the CD in an open card sleeve and minus notes, this might easily be mistaken for a typical […]
Keith Oxman – “Two Cigarettes In The Dark”
Keith Oxman – Two Cigarettes In The Dark (Capri 74161-2. CD review by Peter Vacher) Tenor saxophonist Keith Oxman is a new name to me but not to Capri Records, for this […]
Christian McBride – “The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons”
Christian McBride – The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons (Mack Avenue MAC 1082. CD review by Peter Vacher) The brilliant US bassist Christian McBride is something of a present-day […]
Echoes of Swing – “Winter Days at Schloss Elmau”
Echoes of Swing – Winter Days at Schloss Elmau (ACT 9105-2 CD Review by Peter Vacher) I’ve enjoyed a number of this long-established international quartet’s previous ACT releases. Their neat re-runs of […]
Swingin’ with Strings at Cadogan Hall (2019 EFG LJF)
Swingin’ with Strings (Cadogan Hall, EFG London Jazz Festival 24 November 2019. Review by Peter Vacher) This year’s London Jazz Festival may well have been the biggest and best to date. Let the […]
Miles Davis 1959 – Porgy and Bess…Kind of Blue And More at Cadogan Hall
Miles Davis 1959 – Porgy and Bess…Kind of Blue And More (Cadogan Hall, London, 21 September 2019. Review by Peter Vacher) Nothing ventured, nothing gained, so the old adage goes. Richard Pite’s Jazz Repertory […]
Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller at Carnegie Hall 1939 – The Battle of the Big Bands
The latest of the Jazz Repertory Company’s Cadogan Hall recreations of defining moments in jazz brings an historic big band battle back to life. Pete Long explained its significance to Peter Vacher: […]
The Big Chris Barber Band at Cadogan Hall
The Big Chris Barber Band (Cadogan Hall, London, 13 September 2019. Review by Peter Vacher) When Bob Hunt, the band’s trombonist and musical director, came out on stage it was to emphasize that […]
Walt Weiskopf European Quartet – Worldwide
Walt Weiskopf European Quartet – Worldwide (Orenda Records ORENDA0065. Review by Peter Vacher) Tenorist Weiskopf is one of those top New York pros whose career has taken in the heady first-call local session […]
Mary Stallings – Songs Were Made To Sing
Mary Stallings – Songs Were Made To Sing (Smoke Sessions SSR-1903. CD review by Peter Vacher) Back in 1970, San Francisco-born vocalist Mary Stallings toured Britain with the Count Basie orchestra and […]
Kenny Barron Trio at Ronnie Scott’s
Kenny Barron Trio (Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. 4 August 2019. International Piano Trio Festival. Review by Peter Vacher) The standout booking for the club’s 2019 International Piano Trio Festival was this opening two-day […]
The BIG Chris Barber Band at Cadogan Hall (13 September)
NEWS UPDATE: Since this piece was written Chris Barber has announced his permanent retirement. This concert will now be a celebration of his music. Sum up the Chris Barber story in five […]
